Patreon Blog Takeover: Sedimentary Layers: Earth Pony Public Magic & The Cornucopia Effect (Blackbriar) · 7:40pm Jan 16th, 2018
Ponies forget. Even without centuries of careful storytelling, progressive distortions built up until only the barest tip of truth can be seen poking through the soil, ponies forget.
Many Equestrian schools, especially mixed ones, will have a few short lessons on the magic which can be found within the three main pony races. But they're short lessons. A unicorn-exclusive school will have exhaustive semesters exploring possibilities, pegasi devote entire seasons to flight camps in the name of making sure everypony knows what they need to do. But when it comes to the magic of others... unicorns cast, pegasi can manipulate weather, and students frequently learn just enough to get past the test, while retaining the information for exactly that amount of time. There is a portion of earth pony magic which exists in the open, aspects freely taught to unicorn fillies and pegasus colts. And if you were to encounter one of those former students a decade after the fact, asked them what earth ponies could magically do... the near-universal response would be along the lines of "They're strong and they can grow stuff a little better?" It's not your magic, and so there's generally very little need to concern yourself with it -- especially when it seems to be so relatively minor in both scope and power.
It's rare to find a pegasus or unicorn who takes much of an interest in earth pony magic, especially at the scholarship level. (It's even more rare to find an earth pony operating on the academic plane with thaumaturgical studies of their own abilities: after all, there's only so much they could even theorize about. However, being in the right place to shut down the theories of others is invaluable.) It's background magic. The fruit is on your plate, and the most you generally care about regarding how it got there was the cost. Especially if it's a cherry. Cherry commodities are weird.
But still, for the pony who cares to learn, there is that surface layer: the things earth ponies freely permit others to understand, for the rare individuals that take the time to look. And so the following could potentially be learned by anypony in Equestria, few of whom would ever think to seek something deeper.
The following is what a 'scholar' of earth pony magic would know about that species' potential abilities. And all of it is true. It's just not true enough.
Universal magics
Enhanced strength and endurance: Any earth pony will be at least somewhat more physically powerful than a unicorn or pegasus of approximately the same build. (They will also be measurably heavier: not distressingly so, but an earth pony has a little more density to their body.) This aspect of magic builds with time: a foal won't be noticeably stronger (and even the Surges don't grant musclepower), but by kindergarten, an earth pony will have at least a degree of edge in place. They typically reach their full boost level shortly after finding the rest of their magic, and that overcharge will remain consistently proportionate to any extra physical strength they might gain through exercise. As with all magic, this varies by the individual: there are earth ponies with skinny builds and stringy muscles -- who can still kick a little harder than you'd expect. Earth ponies are typically aware of just how much they're physically exerting themselves, but can lose track when distracted, in the same fashion which allows a startled unicorn caster to let a little extra resonance leak into a working.
It's generally safe to assume that a given earth pony is at least 40% stronger than they look. (Keep in mind that in A Confederacy Of Dunce Caps, Diamond was easily capable of separating Snips and Snails to end the play-fight -- and she doesn't exactly give off the physical impression of being Miss Junior Weight-Dragging Champion of 1274.) Some ponies are under this number, others go beyond it, and there are some examples out there who really shouldn't be crossed. In theory, this makes just about any earth pony into a devastating direct combatant -- but they still have to land their kicks, while being close enough to make an impact at all. Still, the first rule for unicorns and pegasi facing a truly angry earth pony is to create some distance.
The endurance is somewhat less noticeable. This is because the Cornucopia Effect is generally continuous, and so a portion of that extra energy is dedicated to powering magic which runs at all times unless shut down. A typical earth pony will need just as much sleep as the other two races, and retains the need to recharge themselves through consuming food. However, if they put their minds to it, they can typically push on physically for longer than a pegasus or unicorn could. (Truly dedicated efforts may require turning off the Effect for a while, making that strength available for other things.) But when they're worn out, they drop -- and extensive burning of calories on more intensive magic will exhaust an earth pony just as surely it would a unicorn or pegasus.
(For what it's worth: on truly minor efforts, an earth pony can keep going the longest, and is the only one of the three races known to be capable of doing something in their sleep. However, as more intensive tool use can sometimes mean shifting large amounts of mass... well, there may be somewhat more base endurance to utilize, but a lot of it could wind up going to heavy lifting.)
Because they're stronger and more durable, an earth pony can typically go through more injury than a pegasus or unicorn before falling unconscious. However, their healing rate tends to be the same -- and as with the other two pony races, some medicine has to be reworked in dosage or composition for them, while other mixes won't operate at all.
Energizing the soil: The Cornucopia Effect is the longest-term casual magic known to ponies (and will remain so until some serious research is done into the crystals). Unless an earth pony deliberately turns it off, it's active at all times. As with physical strength, the Effect increases with age: a filly entering her school years, with no active access to her other tools, will still be capable of aiding a group effort. The magic radiates, and this radius is generally described as a huge circle which moves with the pony. (In reality, it's a hemisphere, soaking down into the soil: there's rarely any need to radiate up.)
The shorthoof way to view the Effect is that it allows any kind of earth to host any variety of plant life. However, this simply fills in for a plant's nutritional needs. (The Effect does not directly create the chemical compounds which make up those nutrients: the local vegetation is partially living on magic.) It does not account for climate, air, and moisture requirements, although it will provide a partial substitute for sunlight. (A plant without Sun will still ultimately die --but it'll take more time.) An earth pony who digs down to the soil under the Empire's border ice will be able to place a seed -- and the resulting plant will die in the cold. As such, some earth ponies will use greenhouses, and a pegasus assist is required to make the temperature and humidity suitable for many kinds of misplaced crops: the Appleloosa settlement is going to need some help with that orchard, and soon.
The Effect, while long-lasting, is slow to take full hold. It can take years to fully sink into something the size of a full settled zone, at least to the extent where earth ponies can freely come and go without having too many worries about the background power level dropping too low. (Dedicated farms still have to sweat it out a little during long trips, and 'The farmer is the land' can apply when a family is establishing a new, isolated homestead.) However, it will intensify if the local earth pony population increases -- and, should that population permanently drop, diminish. It is additive: every earth pony in the area contributes. It's automatic. And if you lose all your local earth ponies, it will eventually go away. There's a fade-out period proportionate to the original strength, but the only way to stop the process is to restore that segment of the local demographics. Ponyville, which has an earth pony majority, would get about two years. (And yes, they're much too far away from Canterlot to receive the negligible benefits from that population.) At least in terms of workable farmland, any settled zone's true maximum size is directly dependent on how many earth ponies reside there -- but if that's not what you care about, then go ahead and set up anything you like. However, there are mathematical formulas which can calculate how many adult earth ponies you need at an average field strength of X to get a long-term settled zone which takes up Y% of a square gallop, and those are sometimes brought out when planning new settlements. Remember, even with mixed settlements, the earth ponies generally get there first -- something very close to tradition, and necessary to buy a little precious private time for the earliest stages.
A settled zone with a fully-established Effect will possess soil suitable for pretty much everything, and normal plantings require no conscious notice from an earth pony. (Truly complicated setups benefit from having a friend drop by every now and again.) As such, pegasi and unicorns will be able to plant some fairly impressive gardens. But as very few pegasi and unicorns truly understand the Effect, criminal earth ponies occasionally use that lack of knowledge against them. Triptych sees Quiet note the existence of con artists who collect bits before walking around the property a few times, then flee before the first seed fails to sprout. Similarly, soil removed from an Effect zone will retain its charge for a time and be able to support plant life, but that magic won't replenish itself: "selling dirt to Cloudsdale" is an occasional fraud problem.
Soil untouched by the Effect is fully normal and will support whatever plant life it normally would. However, one of the consequences from the Effect is that Equestria views its food supply route as 'earth ponies'. As a science, agronomy is barely recognized within the borders and, but for a few rare scholars, hardly ever understood. The vast majority of earth ponies wouldn't know how to work with a magic-free environment. There are earth ponies who learn about supplemental scientific tactics which boost their own efforts, and some scant unicorns and pegasi are stubborn enough to truly go at it alone. But for the latter, we're talking about a few dozen individuals -- tops. Most of the other nations use crop rotation, fertilizers, compost, and the rest of the necessary aspects normally: Equestria doesn't. There's no need -- until the moment there is.
Soil sense: This is an example of an ability which doesn't quite work as pegasi and unicorns believe it does. Some believe an earth pony can just glance at dirt and be able to tell what would naturally sprout from it. It's a little more complicated than that...
Uncommon effects
Wasteland: Looking deeply into the Effect will suggest the possibility that it could theoretically be kicked into reverse. This is absolutely true. Any earth pony can shut down their magic: a few who truly make the effort can warp it, poisoning the soil. (Again, this doesn't create actual compounds: it's forcing the plant life to feed on negative energies.) This is almost exponentially faster than establishing the Effect itself. However, it's also extremely vulnerable. Poisoning soil requires a deliberate effort, and it's a draining one: a single earth pony can't ruin the land within anything close to their full radius. If they're in a settled area, the central Effect will gradually wash into the poisoned zone and clean things up: an earth pony who wants to keep wrecking a portion will need to stay close and continue working -- which, even without identifying their echo, can make it very clear who the culprit is. The inversion of the tool also disturbs an earth pony's internal balance: somepony using it will feel ill, and this grows worse as the magic continues. (As with shutting down a mark, it's effectively magical blasphemy: there's a price to pay for that.) And using this magic in an area with a lot of earth ponies about will have the wasteland tool effectively fighting off the entire population just to get anything done.
As such, this is generally only used by modern ponies with deep grudges and the overconfidence to believe they won't get caught, taking out a neighbor's precious rosebush. In ancient times, it was mainly utilized as an 'If I can't have this, then you can't either' tactic, ruining land which would have been used for future settlements, or poisoning a just-conquered barricade point on the way out.
(Horror stories persist about earth ponies whose magic only works this way: living inversions, trotting blights who destroy everything they approach. To the best of anypony's knowledge, they're only stories.)
Plant growth acceleration: This requires direct effort and is most frequently done by teams. Affected organisms will reach maturity faster than they normally would: the most powerful public casting might be able to bring the time down by 80% or so, and the remainder of the plant's lifespan will be normal. A subset of this tool allows fruits and vegetables to ripen at an accelerated pace: the Acres enjoy considerably more harvest times per year than they strictly should.
The casting needs to be repeated periodically over the acceleration time, but doesn't have to be continuous. For forced growth, it's generally only used when establishing new farms, initial crops, and settled zones: there's some worries about what could happen to a plant's health if you just kept pushing it. In theory, it should be possible to create extra-large versions of normal plants, but you'll seldom see it done -- mostly because contest judges know exactly what kind of traces to listen for.
Plant growth retardation: This isn't using the wasteland effect: it's creating a perfectly healthy version of an organism at a smaller scale. Essentially, with the right earth pony on the job, you could theoretically get a bonsai version of anything in the plant kingdom. It's a rare tool found among only a few ponies, who generally make their fortunes through selling miniature redwoods to anypony rich enough to believe it's a good idea. Requires frequent attention and effort at the outset, but the ultimate results are stable -- if done by a competent pony. Plants which start growing at their normal pace after a few moons are known to happen. Ones which achieve full size in five minutes are decidedly unlikely, but at least make for interesting stories about why you shouldn't buy bonsai redwoods.
Doesn't exist
There's also a few bad assumptions which occasionally make the rounds, most of which ponies decide are fact through A. imagining them and B. telling themselves they're right. These include:
Poison detection
"So if you know so much about plants, can't you just tell which ones are deadly to eat?"
"No."
"Taste bad?"
"No."
"Allergic reactions?"
"Is there a part of 'no' you keep missing?"
(Does occasionally show up as an aspect of a plant-related mark talent -- or, with poisons, a chemistry one may let you know that a given edible is bad for you. (Finding out how generally requires doing it the hard way -- or having somepony else go through it on your behalf.) But it's not a tool.)
Animal empathy: It's out there, but as with the one above, it's not an inherent aspect of earth pony magic: it's a mark talent -- one admittedly much more common among earth ponies than the other two races (pegasi generally manifest for something airborne and unicorns virtually never display it), but it still requires a mark. Winona isn't magically communicated with or controlled: she's trained.
Hidden
Everything else.
Fascinating even at the surface level. That said, given the intricacies and complexities of each tribe's magic, I can understand why most unicorns and pegasi wouldn't bother to look for the details even without the conspiracy. Even for the dedicated scholars like Twilight, there's already so much to learn that they can actually do.
Now I can't help but suspect that Cherry Jubilee owns Dodge Junction.
Also, hints at crystal magic and a calendar year. I'm guessing the latter is based on Discord's defeat. Kind of hard to have a calendar when the day length is subject to whim.
That sounds the kind of thing Mayor Mare and the Zoning Board gets ulcers over. Of such things, mighty bureaucracies are made...
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It's actually a small nightmare when figuring for both initial setup and expansion -- if you want a settled zone to have a chance at being completely self-sustaining. This was more of a problem in the early days, while a relatively safe road and air path network was still being established: if you were working under the knowledge that contact would be cut off every so often, you'd want to make sure a settlement could subsist on its own. As such, any real increase in pegasus and unicorn population needed a compensating number of earth ponies.
In modern times, when monsters and magical events taking out a travelway is much more intermittent and the palace has the gatehouse system for true emergency backup, it's nowhere near as much of a factor. But the chart can still be pulled out when a new ground settlement is being planned.
However, as with Trotter's Falls, there are a few unicorn-majority areas which trade most of their goods in. And any pegasus settlement has to import just about everything. It's possible to get soil up to cloud level and conduct normal farming upon it -- but it's an effort and again, agronomy barely exists. If you see a backyard garden in Las Pegasus, you can safely presume one of two possibilities: either the owner is doing a lot of work or there's going to be a fraud charge filed in a few weeks, right after the Effect fades out.
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Now I am imagining a bizarre situation (in Triptych-verse MLP) where many pegasi know more about farming and agronomy in general (aeroponics anyone?) than most earth ponies due to the effort and knowledge and research required to grow a stable rotation of crops at altitude...
So if Earth Ponies have their own equivalent of Devices/Wonders that would be part of The Secret?
I know that one reasonably common fanon for Rock Farming is not actually growing rocks but "nurturing," them to awaken and strengthen their latent innate magical properties. To paraphrase Maud Pie "with the right stone you could rule the world."
I agree Earth Pony magic ought to work this way. But, in Fall Weather Friends, Dash beat AJ hoof wrestling which flat out ought not to be possible. What happened?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=mlp+fall+weather+friends+hoof+wrestling&&view=detail&mid=7FF96BA5F21FC93CAF357FF96BA5F21FC93CAF35&&FORM=VDRVRV
about 3:30 in -couldn't find it by itself
Of course, IMO The Force is strong within all the Mane 6 -their midichlorian levels are off the scale & that probably has something to do with it.
Or, it could be that the Elements interfered? But that would imply that it was more Harmonious for Dash to beat AJ & enough so for the Elements to interfere.
Or, hey, you're AU. I suppose you could just rule it non canon to your verse (IMO, it was a mistake on the writers' part)
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They do: talismans. And it is.
In-'verse, rock farming, as revealed in Triptych, creates jewels within suitable stones. However, it's a very slow process, and the vast majority of the results are traded to dragons -- allowing the recipients to fuel their own magic.
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Well, there are some plants (like orchids) that are arboreal (don't grow in the ground). Plus possibly some condiments, perfumes, & medicines that are low bulk & high value enough that they might plausibly be grown in hydroponic tanks. Remember, though, everything has to be shipped both ways by airfreight -Pegaasi or balloon.
I'd bet that a few eccentrics grow some things as a hobby or maybe pet food but that 99%+ of commercial agriculture is ground bound Earth Ponies. Equestria -bread basket to the world!
This is why I keep coming back here. :D
Earth ponies interacting with the mass magic field are background power as they are. When an element like Pinkie Pie starts interacting with the underlaying reality Magic Field, the rules go out the window.
At least Twilight hasnt found out how to use her General Magic interaction, to Amplify Earth ponies, or even Pinkie. Then again, thats likely an explanation for a Harmony Event?
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Aeroponically; e.g. growing plants in a mist environment instead of a soil or liquid medium. A small cloud (foal's play for somepony who can construct a basic napping platform) and a spot of convection current to keep things moving past a support system for the roots would be the bare minimum needed (nutrients are Left As An Exercise For The Reader™)
Luxury items may provide better returns, but you can grow many, if not most, staples aeroponically. A cursory glance at Wikipedia Almighty and NASA suggests corn, wheat, potatoes, courgette/zucchini, basil, and beans can all be grown. Of course it a vastly more complex and fiddly system, lacking the natural barriers and buffers soil (and I would imagine Earth Ponies) provide. If you are not monitoring it 25/7, all it takes is one slip and suddenly your pH/nitrogen/phosphate levels are knackered and the system crashes and your expen$$ive pilot research farm is magically transformed into a costly aerial pile of compost and you are left with a crowd of snickering Earth Ponies, an angry Board of Investors, and a municipal fine for the Aerial Transporting and Storage of Refuse Without a Permit...
Oh nice. So that is [current year] in Triptych verse, huh? Writing that down.
Really cool look into earth magic. You know, it makes part of me wonder if earth ponies make up a slightly larger portion of Equestria's population in this verse, to make up for them needing more in the early days. I'm also curious if a pony's tools are influenced at all by the kind of Mark they manifest.
I'm serious, if you ever compiled these world building posts into a triptych field guide I would buy it. Parody laws, it could happen.
Now I want to see a story in your universe where we see a Minotaur or another species settle in Ponyville to build a farm and use all the normal farming methods they use in their country and being seen as a weirdo by the local farmers.
I don't know why but I feel like you would make a really interesting story.
Your take on pony magic is really interesting as always. Will you do a Umbrum or Changeling magic articles too?
one of the comments reminded me of a gag in the classic story "fallout equestria", where a pegasus says that they figured out a way to grow plants on clouds..."haven't you ever heard of cloud seeding?"
I'm glad I'm not the only one to notice Sweet Apple Acres has more yearly harvests than it should, or that believes it's because of magic. What about apple bucking? Is that magic based, mark based, or just sheer strength?
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Given the effects of the Triptych Cornucopia Effect, Cherry Jubilee may very well be Dodge Junction.
The vast earth pony conspiracy is utterly ridiculous on its face... but I respect like hell the immense amount of work you've put into building out your Triptych universe's specific magics, metaphysics, and cosmologies and making them fully formed and more importantly internally consistent, Estee.
It's more effort than a lot of other folks go to.
It occurs to me that the wasteland effect almost certainly gets regular usage, and that there are probably some ponies who make a decent living as real experts of that craft. As any farmer can tell you, there are all sorts of invasive, counterproductive, and just plain ANNOYING plants that are more than willing to invade otherwise productive space, and the cornucopia effect doesn't seem to discriminate; it'll cause poison oak to spread over forty acres of otherwise productive farmland in the effect bubble like that if nobody keeps an eye on it, and make the lawns of prim and proper unicorns absolutely awash in crab grass and dandelions.
So I bet earth pony farmers get pretty adept at using wasteland when the need arises to clear some land of annoyances, and that there's more than a few of them who work freelance as masters of the craft; if you're real good at wasteland and have a mark backing it up, you can probably do crazy stuff like "I touch the kudzu that's choking the life out of every other plant within eyesight, and it just withers up and dies."
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That actually sounds like a legitimately interesting application and I wonder how it would effect the internal balance of magic that Estee mentioned occuring with prolonged use. Does a temporary blight created with the intent of removing a noxious weed that's choking out everything else have as bad an effect because ultimately it's boosting growth in a long term, round about way.
As for my own questions regarding pony agronomy, Estee I know you said it didn't create nutrient but supplement magic in lieu of nutrients. What sort of effect does it have on things like build up of excess elements (salt build up in arid and semi-arid environments that receive some form of external irrigation is a known long term issue) and how aware are ponies of this?
I imagine a post Triptych Twilight researching her new alicorn magics. Whatever Rainbow Dash can’t teach will have plenty of Pegasi volunteers in Ponyville, I’m sure.
But the earth ponies of Ponyville are going to hear a new voice in their choir. Loud, uncertain of itself. Constantly questioning, and pouting when the answer is “no.” I can imagine a few hushed conversations along the lines of, “I like Twilight, but... If it comes to that, is it even possible to lynch an alicorn?”
SQWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
4775370 Wouldn't it be blasphemy to lynch an alicorn?
That'd actually be an interesting conflict. Who would they choose: their Princess, or their own kind? Who would think there needs to be a choice?
Sorry if you have covered this somewhere Estee, but I have a question about The Secret; what happens with an Earth foal born to non-Earth parents? I assume at some point Mummy Unicorn or Daddy Pegasus is going to be mildly curious about their child asking them why the ground talks back... (while acknowledging that it’s analagous to my sometimes wondering if my kids - or anyone else, actually - see ‘red’ as the same colour that I do...)
Thanks for all the enjoyment so far, by the way.
Can't confirm if the photo is legit or not, since it's mostly just bringing up itself again on search, but here's a post about a bonsai tree growing a full sized apple. The last reply is funny too, reading like the most Applejack thing to me.
Did Celestia and Luna originally being Earth ponies come to you before or after you came up with the Secret. Because I kind of feel like they have to be for it to be maintained
To be honest, secret/lost earth pony magic is a cool premise to explore. And Triptych honestly has some pretty fascinating earth pony magic.
It is good worldbuilding, but it is good worldbuilding that also kinda pisses me off at the same time. There are basically two evil conspiracies in Triptych.
One want Alicorn ascension to be open source, doing some dark stuff to accomplish that goal.
The other one, is made up of racist stuck millennia in the past, using deceit and honor killings to keep their true ability secret so they have the advantage when they turn on their neighbors.
Triptych kinda suffers from focusing on dismantling the less evil one.
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That would honestly be an interesting post Triptych story. As far as we know, The Secret has not yet been weighed against full blown treason.
Discrediting the lifework of anyone studying earth pony magic, or killing people to up hold The Secret is super scummy, but it isn’t treasonous, not quite. – Planning to do the same to an element of harmony or even a princess of Equestria? Now that would be treasonous, very treasonous.
We can also add “Earth pony researchers undermining magic research and falsifying findings to uphold The Secret” to the list of ways The Secret has turn the Earth ponies into unrepentant scumbags to ponykind as a whole.
4775643 Earth pony neighbors, family, friends, as many earth ponies as necessary will regularly visit to negate the foal's Surges, and probably provide basics on earth pony culture.
Barring early earth pony intervention, that leaves Coverups.
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Good point. Plus Ponyville seems to actually be a bit of an exception in regard of mixed populations, it seems. It’s also just occurred to me that the Earth ponies are helped by a very fundamental part of Equestrian culture.
Cutie marks.
Think about it; your child comes to you and asks if it’s normal that they get a funny feeling about the soil, almost like they can have a conversation with it, the average pony parent will give an indulgent chuckle, a “that’s perfectly fine, sweetie. You go with that!” and start planning a cuteceañara.
Not sure as to how a non-earth-raised Earth carries on with the Secrecy after that, but yes, I can believe an older colleague has a ‘quiet word’, or even, to continue on the above, they come to believe themselves “it’s what my cutie mark is telling me.” and never say a word about it to anyone else because why would you? ‘Red’ is ‘red’, right?
4774954 Hey Estee, there's something I've been wondering for a while about the Pie family. You said they were really powerful, but their land is apparently barren and inhospitable. Is their Cornucopia weak, or do they actively repress it?
Two big questions that occur to me after reading this:
First, do those with farming marks tend to have a stronger Effect? And if so, is it a stronger boost, a larger radius, or less energy required? Or some combination of all three?
Second, if earth ponies can turn off their Effect, it seems like they should also be able to turn it up, pouring more energy into the Effect to cause it to take hold more quickly. It would probably be less efficient, but it could still be hugely valuable in getting settlements started. Is there a reason earth ponies can’t do that, or is it just impractical for some reason.
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I doubt that, actually. If it’s not possible to modulate the Cornucopia Effect to only boost the plants you want boosted, it’s probably not possible to modulate the wasteland effect to blight only the plants you want blighted. So the only thing the Wasteland effect might be good for is clearing out an area that has nothing in it you want to keep (such as when you’re clearing land for new fields, or a new settled zone), and there are easier ways to handle that than turning your soul inside out.