I'm right here. D= You didn't lose me.

This mindset is destroying you as an artist and a human being. Losing this art battle does not put you back to "square one". You would still have all the experience you gained from it. If this was a contest of needless suffering I think everyone would definitely vote for you (or for themselves for having to read all of this), but it's an art battle. We vote for who was the most entertaining and original with their handling of the duel. The winner really doesn't even matter, ideally, since this is for the artists' benefit and the audience's amusement.

I'm voting for Rad. I think that ties the votes, or comes close. You really need to learn some empathy, man.

You don't need to win this battle to become a better artist, the battle itself is what will make you great. Also, you don't have to beat Rad and put him behind you to move on; dropping your resentment toward him would be moving on in itself. And I've been trying to be your friend but it's tricky with you not exactly making such a valiant effort at conversation. It really kind of hurts me to hear you say that we're not friends anymore when I have really tried my best to be nice to you and get back on your good side. If that's really how you see me, as a lost thing never to be recovered, then I don't see why I should bother pulling punches anymore.

You don't know what a friend is. You think they should come to you, and you aren't willing to meet them halfway. You are not such an alluring and fun person to be around that people are going to just walk up and beg to spend time with you, it takes some effort on your part, too. A friend isn't a bottomless tap of positive energy for you to draw from, and everything they say to you won't be exactly what you want to hear. Radium had the potential to be the best friend you ever had, because he genuinely wanted to help you long after everyone else stopped caring, and yet you see him as an enemy. Why don't you consider how he feels, because even though he doesn't spill out every little hardship and sad feeling he has for all the world to see, I assure you he must be getting pretty tired of this crap by now.

Show some class and see this through to the end. Don't whine if you lose, don't gloat if you win. Do your best, learn what you can, take it with you and do better next time. Impress us all.