Flower Power [Vol. 1] [OPEN]

[freedomsuitsme]

Who: Maxwell Carter and YOU!
What: Flower Shenanigans
When: The start of Semtember
Where: Various
Warnings: General angst, possibly physical deprivation, more to be added


"That poor sap has no idea what's coming..." [White Lilac]

He's backstage in the theater, working on making preparations for his show, when he pushes aside a rack of costumes to find a hanging curtain of white flowers. They don't seem immediately intent upon strangling or stinging him, and they have a pleasant scent, so he doesn't immediately back away. It almost reminds him of his boyhood home, which makes no sense when he thinks about it. There weren't any flowers like these near his home in...

Suddenly, his psyche distorts as a cloud of white petals consume hum, a tangle of shadowy snares around his soul withering away in the presence of an opposing force. Surprise gives way to panic, panic gives way to fear. He stumbles back, tripping through the part in the curtains and out onto center stage. When the transformation is completely, he is no longer the same man.

His clothes have changed to match his old identity, dark pinstriped three-piece replaced with a solid-color purple outfit, the collar adorned with a red bow tie. Thick, round spectacles appear on his face. His hairline creeps back down to a place it long recessed from. The lines of his face grow more shallow, less pronounced.

The timid magician, William Carter, stands at center stage, completely caught off guard, sitting, frozen, like a started rabbit.
 

"Sleep is only a temporary escape." [Poppy]

The plant-induced sleep is somewhat deliberate on his part. He's been struggling with sleepless nights and vivid nightmares again, and he's begun to wear down physically. Max has heard rumors from the other passengers that proximity to poppies brings about deep slumber, and he's getting desperate enough to try.

As he drifts off to sleep, he hears a familiar song playing. Someone must have turned on that blasted phonograph in Bobby B's.

Except... how would he be able to hear it from out here, on the balcony?

His mind follows the endless song, and it grows louder, and louder, until his senses emerge into a familiar throne room.

The question is, is he the one bound to the Nightmare Throne, being confronted by an unlikely Survivor... or is he the usurper, and someone else is pulling the strings?
 

"I told you people, I am not a vampire!" [Bat Orchid]

What a curious plant. It almost reminds him of one variety of his beloved Evil Flowers.

Oh, Maxwell knows he should be cautious, but he's nothing if not curious. And a cursory inspection suggests the plant isn't doing him any harm.

It's only later that he begins to notice the symptoms. The sensitivity to light, the heightened senses... or perhaps it's something more dramatic, fangs extending as he catches the scent of fresh blood.