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Description

"...You want the flowers what?"
Away from the bustle of stagehands readying the the Contest hall for the day's events, the head of props stared at the grizzled-looking nurse who stood before them bug-eyed and perplexed at the request that had been written on the participants' forms which was suppose to help accommodate what each appeal would need.
There had to be a mistake. Who on earth would ask for this?

"Withered. Like y'know. Dried out, old, the kind the florists are gonna wanna toss out before the day is over."
Rhames explained breezily as he tried his robes on for size and shook out the sleeves. Next to him, there was the ghost of a chuckle from the Gallade who was fiddling with the leaves that made up the cape of their costume.

"For this appeal? For 'In Bloom'?"
The head of props inquired and slowly, deliberately intoned the last two words for emphasis before wetting their lips nervously---they were more nervous for this participant's appeal than the man was which was startling to say the least.
"Aye?"
The native Galarian blinked at them and tilted his head to a side curiously.
"That gonna be a problem?"
Maddening.
It was an odd request, but it wasn't going to be hard to find all things considered. Besides, who were they to question the grave this man was digging for himself?

"No, we can do that."
They affirmed with a nod before disappearing behind the rows of moving costume racks being ferried from one end of the backstage area to another.

Rhames turned his attention back to his costume and marveled at the seamstress' work; everything was to the specifications he had cautiously asked for in being uncertain if she could pull it of within the limited timeframe and as though to drive the point that she was vaguely insulted by the idea that she couldn't, had finished it all with hours to spare and managed to place small flecks of rhinestones where the 'snow' painted his outfit so it dazzled even more in the light.

Old man Winter was supposed to be a dreary figure no doubt but it didn't mean he still couldn't have style.

"Ye gonna need a hand gettin' into those tights, Peter Pan?"
The PMC nurse turned his attention to Vendetta the Gallade who was looking their reflection over in the fullbody mirror balanced on a nearby wall.

"I'm gonna need a hand when the missus sees my ass in this and suddenly all my slacks have been mysteriously replaced by tight leather pants."
Vendetta snorted as he tested out the panpipes he wore around his neck, curious to see if they were real and could be played.
The sharp whistle that made his ears reflexively pin back told him quickly that they were.

Peeking out of the curtains, they were treated to the very last seconds of a particularly dazzling performance from a young redhead and their Comfey who seemed to be doing an entire suite from Fantasia if the music was anything to go by.
A tall order to live up to.

"Not gettin' cold feet?"
Rhames smiled and nudged the Gallade gently in the shoulders.

"Not unless your feet ain't keepin' up with me out there."
Vendetta shot him a toothy grin just as the raucous applause of the crowd broke through.
"I only look as good as you, remember that."

Whatever gamely retort Rhames had in mind was put aside for a moment as the redhead, an Adam Edwards flopped through the curtains, breathless with nerves and energy and their makeup almost runny with the exertion. With a pat on the young man's back, Rhames shook his hand cordially and congratulated him on the performance in low tones only heard between the two of them as the duo of performer and Pokemon then headed back and stagehands rushed out during the twenty-minute intermission to dismantle the props for this appeal to ready themselves for the next.

All things considered, one could see why his request had been an odd one for a theme centered around spring;
The Roserade who was terraforming the field centerstage with a beautiful bloom of wildflowers using Grassy Terrain paled, mortified by her hard work suddenly covered in a blizzard of snow from a Castform who meeped at her apologetically and she then huffed and stomped closer to Rhames before threateningly shaking her fist at him.

"S'all gonna be alright, I promise. Thanks eh?"
The man tried to reassure her as she whipped her nose up and sashayed elsewhere.

Barren trees were carefully set in place by Bulbasaurs and withered flowers set around the stage including the roses he as asked for specifically as the head of props them walked over and handed him the checklist.

"All set?"

Rhames wrote off the checklist quickly as he then waited at his designated spot on the stage while the crowds began to stream in and the confusion was a delight to see and hear as they were treated to a scene of dead winter rather than spring.
The confusion kept escalating as he appeared as a withered old man cloaked in greys flecked with the hands of a snowstorm and proclaimed himself Old Man Winter to whom the cold silence and pure white desolation was a thing of beauty.
Then the music started, the swell of it heralding the appearance of the Spirit of Spring; A Gallade dressed in earth and forest greens who danced upon the deep snowbanks in light, quick steps and there was the flash of fangs as Vendetta, youthful and roguish issued a challenge.
A fight as it were, to the changing of seasons; If winter should win then snow would reign for another month but if spring was the victor, then winter was to leave until autumn gave up its last leaves and already the crowd saw where this was going as the children's cheers could be heard first. They knew who they wanted the hero of this story to be.

The two of them, dressed different as day and night faced off against one another in slow, deliberate circles with Rhames' staff and Vendetta's feet marking an interlocking Celtic knot between them signifying how they were despite it all, linked together as the theme reached its crescendo .
All the sudden there was a flurry of activity as Old Man Winter lashed out first, swiping at the Sprit of Spring's head with his staff and there were shouts from the audience warning Vendetta about the attack. It was one quickly ducked---they had choreographed this in advanced after all---as the staff's arcing swoops and jabs were all expertly parried by the Gallade whose smile remained as he backflipped into the branches of a tree and as Old Man Winter furiously called him down to finish the fight, there was a bright pink glow that steadily engulfed the psychic-type's paws.

Spring's retort had been simple: To finish would imply he had nothing to give and as it were, he had barely begun.

Heal Pulse was godsend to those preaching medicine and those on the field, and its use far extended what it was primarily intended for in textbooks; Placing his paws on the barren tree, Spring filled its nodes with as much of the healing energy as he could and the audience's cries of wonderment as it began to sprout greenery and bloom---A shared work of Hypnosis?----right before their very eyes was palpable.

In the thick canopy, Winter could not see him as he burst down in a flurry of leaves, almost clipping Winter's head with a swipe of the foot and now that they were on even ground once more, the dramatic strains of the second wind of the theme underscored the sense of urgency that their quickening paces lined out.

Now it was Winter's turn to retreat as Spring unleashed a long arc of Heal Pulse which swooped across the field like a luminous whip and what they couldn't see was the edge of Winter's staff digging into the snow everywhere he moved, leaving the greneery underneath to be affected by the energy blast.
The blowback hurled the snow aside, revealing the pristine grass underneath and the vibrantly-blooming wildflowers, the withered roses brought back to life fresh and dewy as the the pulse coursed over them.

It was only after the field was covered in greenery that Winter and Spring stopped fighting despite no victor being declared as the wizened old soul stared upon the lush field in horror at what Spring had done to his cold domain.
It was wrong. It was lively, it was vibrant, it was chaotic, it was......beautiful.

He reached out to touch one of the roses, one which Spring plucked out and gave to him to keep him company until winter came, because there was beauty in all the seasons as fleeting as they were, for the snow could come and go as did the flowers, and once Autumn's sunset hues were done, the land would be his once more to paint with his brush.
With Winter finally lowering his head in deference, the crowd erupted as Spring and Winter both bowed deeply, hands held together and with a whirling flourish of the capes, disappeared in a well-timed Teleport that made the young ones in the audience truly question if these were indeed performers or actual nature spirits.

Backstage, there was a clatter of bodies suddenly apparating too close to a stack of use props as Rhames held on to the volcano from Adam's appeal for support and let out a wheezy laugh which was shared by the Gallade who sank down on the floor.

"Think we nailed that?"
said the man breathlessly just as a tug at his sleeve directed his attention to the stagehand Roserade from before, her anger long buried underneath starry-eyed adoration which verbalized itself in a flurry of gleeful chirrups and materialized itself in the form of full-bodied hugs for the both of them much to the Gallade's amusement as he let out a sigh of relief and uttered in total conviction,

"Definitely."
"In Bloom" they said. Should be a super easy theme they said, except whoops guess whose duo is being super extra on this contest.
In which Rhames as Old man Winter and Vendetta as the Spirit of Spring have a literal duel to portray the changing seasons.

Level count!

Side Panel 1:
Rhames gains 5Lvls from NPC bonus with Zoe Allardyce!
Charlie gains 2Lvls! (partially-shaded trainer + simple BG)

Side Panel 2:
Rhames gains 5lvls from NPC bonus feat. Gym Leader Madeline!

Main Panel:
Vendetta receives 7Lvls (Shaded fullbody + Shaded fullbody trainer + Detailed BG) +2Lvls (Lit)
Vendetta is already lvl100!

(7Lvls have been given to Sansa , 3Lvls remaining)

Monetary gain
Side Panel 1: 100PD (Simple BG) + 250PD (NPC bonus) + 40PD (Gift art bonus)
Side Panel 2: 250PD (Detailed BG) + 250 (NPC bonus)
Main Panel: 250PD (Detailed BG) + 180PD (Lvl 100 bonus)
Literature: 100PD (1429 words)

Total: 1420 x 2 (Amulet Coin) = 2840PD

Other appeals in this Contest:

Description

"...You want the flowers what?"
Away from the bustle of stagehands readying the the Contest hall for the day's events, the head of props stared at the grizzled-looking nurse who stood before them bug-eyed and perplexed at the request that had been written on the participants' forms which was suppose to help accommodate what each appeal would need.
There had to be a mistake. Who on earth would ask for this?

"Withered. Like y'know. Dried out, old, the kind the florists are gonna wanna toss out before the day is over."
Rhames explained breezily as he tried his robes on for size and shook out the sleeves. Next to him, there was the ghost of a chuckle from the Gallade who was fiddling with the leaves that made up the cape of their costume.

"For this appeal? For 'In Bloom'?"
The head of props inquired and slowly, deliberately intoned the last two words for emphasis before wetting their lips nervously---they were more nervous for this participant's appeal than the man was which was startling to say the least.
"Aye?"
The native Galarian blinked at them and tilted his head to a side curiously.
"That gonna be a problem?"
Maddening.
It was an odd request, but it wasn't going to be hard to find all things considered. Besides, who were they to question the grave this man was digging for himself?

"No, we can do that."
They affirmed with a nod before disappearing behind the rows of moving costume racks being ferried from one end of the backstage area to another.

Rhames turned his attention back to his costume and marveled at the seamstress' work; everything was to the specifications he had cautiously asked for in being uncertain if she could pull it of within the limited timeframe and as though to drive the point that she was vaguely insulted by the idea that she couldn't, had finished it all with hours to spare and managed to place small flecks of rhinestones where the 'snow' painted his outfit so it dazzled even more in the light.

Old man Winter was supposed to be a dreary figure no doubt but it didn't mean he still couldn't have style.

"Ye gonna need a hand gettin' into those tights, Peter Pan?"
The PMC nurse turned his attention to Vendetta the Gallade who was looking their reflection over in the fullbody mirror balanced on a nearby wall.

"I'm gonna need a hand when the missus sees my ass in this and suddenly all my slacks have been mysteriously replaced by tight leather pants."
Vendetta snorted as he tested out the panpipes he wore around his neck, curious to see if they were real and could be played.
The sharp whistle that made his ears reflexively pin back told him quickly that they were.

Peeking out of the curtains, they were treated to the very last seconds of a particularly dazzling performance from a young redhead and their Comfey who seemed to be doing an entire suite from Fantasia if the music was anything to go by.
A tall order to live up to.

"Not gettin' cold feet?"
Rhames smiled and nudged the Gallade gently in the shoulders.

"Not unless your feet ain't keepin' up with me out there."
Vendetta shot him a toothy grin just as the raucous applause of the crowd broke through.
"I only look as good as you, remember that."

Whatever gamely retort Rhames had in mind was put aside for a moment as the redhead, an Adam Edwards flopped through the curtains, breathless with nerves and energy and their makeup almost runny with the exertion. With a pat on the young man's back, Rhames shook his hand cordially and congratulated him on the performance in low tones only heard between the two of them as the duo of performer and Pokemon then headed back and stagehands rushed out during the twenty-minute intermission to dismantle the props for this appeal to ready themselves for the next.

All things considered, one could see why his request had been an odd one for a theme centered around spring;
The Roserade who was terraforming the field centerstage with a beautiful bloom of wildflowers using Grassy Terrain paled, mortified by her hard work suddenly covered in a blizzard of snow from a Castform who meeped at her apologetically and she then huffed and stomped closer to Rhames before threateningly shaking her fist at him.

"S'all gonna be alright, I promise. Thanks eh?"
The man tried to reassure her as she whipped her nose up and sashayed elsewhere.

Barren trees were carefully set in place by Bulbasaurs and withered flowers set around the stage including the roses he as asked for specifically as the head of props them walked over and handed him the checklist.

"All set?"

Rhames wrote off the checklist quickly as he then waited at his designated spot on the stage while the crowds began to stream in and the confusion was a delight to see and hear as they were treated to a scene of dead winter rather than spring.
The confusion kept escalating as he appeared as a withered old man cloaked in greys flecked with the hands of a snowstorm and proclaimed himself Old Man Winter to whom the cold silence and pure white desolation was a thing of beauty.
Then the music started, the swell of it heralding the appearance of the Spirit of Spring; A Gallade dressed in earth and forest greens who danced upon the deep snowbanks in light, quick steps and there was the flash of fangs as Vendetta, youthful and roguish issued a challenge.
A fight as it were, to the changing of seasons; If winter should win then snow would reign for another month but if spring was the victor, then winter was to leave until autumn gave up its last leaves and already the crowd saw where this was going as the children's cheers could be heard first. They knew who they wanted the hero of this story to be.

The two of them, dressed different as day and night faced off against one another in slow, deliberate circles with Rhames' staff and Vendetta's feet marking an interlocking Celtic knot between them signifying how they were despite it all, linked together as the theme reached its crescendo .
All the sudden there was a flurry of activity as Old Man Winter lashed out first, swiping at the Sprit of Spring's head with his staff and there were shouts from the audience warning Vendetta about the attack. It was one quickly ducked---they had choreographed this in advanced after all---as the staff's arcing swoops and jabs were all expertly parried by the Gallade whose smile remained as he backflipped into the branches of a tree and as Old Man Winter furiously called him down to finish the fight, there was a bright pink glow that steadily engulfed the psychic-type's paws.

Spring's retort had been simple: To finish would imply he had nothing to give and as it were, he had barely begun.

Heal Pulse was godsend to those preaching medicine and those on the field, and its use far extended what it was primarily intended for in textbooks; Placing his paws on the barren tree, Spring filled its nodes with as much of the healing energy as he could and the audience's cries of wonderment as it began to sprout greenery and bloom---A shared work of Hypnosis?----right before their very eyes was palpable.

In the thick canopy, Winter could not see him as he burst down in a flurry of leaves, almost clipping Winter's head with a swipe of the foot and now that they were on even ground once more, the dramatic strains of the second wind of the theme underscored the sense of urgency that their quickening paces lined out.

Now it was Winter's turn to retreat as Spring unleashed a long arc of Heal Pulse which swooped across the field like a luminous whip and what they couldn't see was the edge of Winter's staff digging into the snow everywhere he moved, leaving the greneery underneath to be affected by the energy blast.
The blowback hurled the snow aside, revealing the pristine grass underneath and the vibrantly-blooming wildflowers, the withered roses brought back to life fresh and dewy as the the pulse coursed over them.

It was only after the field was covered in greenery that Winter and Spring stopped fighting despite no victor being declared as the wizened old soul stared upon the lush field in horror at what Spring had done to his cold domain.
It was wrong. It was lively, it was vibrant, it was chaotic, it was......beautiful.

He reached out to touch one of the roses, one which Spring plucked out and gave to him to keep him company until winter came, because there was beauty in all the seasons as fleeting as they were, for the snow could come and go as did the flowers, and once Autumn's sunset hues were done, the land would be his once more to paint with his brush.
With Winter finally lowering his head in deference, the crowd erupted as Spring and Winter both bowed deeply, hands held together and with a whirling flourish of the capes, disappeared in a well-timed Teleport that made the young ones in the audience truly question if these were indeed performers or actual nature spirits.

Backstage, there was a clatter of bodies suddenly apparating too close to a stack of use props as Rhames held on to the volcano from Adam's appeal for support and let out a wheezy laugh which was shared by the Gallade who sank down on the floor.

"Think we nailed that?"
said the man breathlessly just as a tug at his sleeve directed his attention to the stagehand Roserade from before, her anger long buried underneath starry-eyed adoration which verbalized itself in a flurry of gleeful chirrups and materialized itself in the form of full-bodied hugs for the both of them much to the Gallade's amusement as he let out a sigh of relief and uttered in total conviction,

"Definitely."
"In Bloom" they said. Should be a super easy theme they said, except whoops guess whose duo is being super extra on this contest.
In which Rhames as Old man Winter and Vendetta as the Spirit of Spring have a literal duel to portray the changing seasons.

Level count!

Side Panel 1:
Rhames gains 5Lvls from NPC bonus with Zoe Allardyce!
Charlie gains 2Lvls! (partially-shaded trainer + simple BG)

Side Panel 2:
Rhames gains 5lvls from NPC bonus feat. Gym Leader Madeline!

Main Panel:
Vendetta receives 7Lvls (Shaded fullbody + Shaded fullbody trainer + Detailed BG) +2Lvls (Lit)
Vendetta is already lvl100!

(7Lvls have been given to Sansa , 3Lvls remaining)

Monetary gain
Side Panel 1: 100PD (Simple BG) + 250PD (NPC bonus) + 40PD (Gift art bonus)
Side Panel 2: 250PD (Detailed BG) + 250 (NPC bonus)
Main Panel: 250PD (Detailed BG) + 180PD (Lvl 100 bonus)
Literature: 100PD (1429 words)

Total: 1420 x 2 (Amulet Coin) = 2840PD

Other appeals in this Contest: