#heartists

 @heartists​​ Ursula! Your judging is here!

“Before anyone says anything I actually just want to get right to the point with this one.” Raihan said flatly. It had gotten to the point with Ursula’s appeal where he was paying more attention to the stream chat than to the actual appeal. Most of whom in the chat were also calling bullshit on this entire thing.

“I don’t buy for a single second this was for more than just clout, honestly.” Raihan continued on. “Like trust me I know what it looks like when someone does something for clout. I named my fucking Torkoal “Soup” because the stream chat chanted it.” 

“Raihan maybe we can be just a little-” Leon started to say.

“Nope. Already made up my mind on the judging I’m doing. Not changing it bro just to be nice.” he said flatly. “So first off, I don’t think this was appeal was visually interesting. The cage was kind of cool but honestly? It was just really fucking boring to look at. Not to mention that the toxic imagery was pretty cliche. Plus I’m not very into having your pokemon beat each other up for the sake of getting the point of the appeal across. Your aesthetics get a 4 out of 10 from me. The story was obviously just for pity points, and we can all see that. We didn’t need to hear you narrate your entire life story over the appeal. In fact I think i would have fucking bought your bullshit better if you didn’t say a word at all. Like the narration just made you sound even more fake. So I’m giving your story a 3 out of 10. My overall opinion for your appeal is another 4 out of 10 because yeah I didn’t fucking like it. I can’t even believe you would come out here with this fake ass shit after your own disaster of a contest.”

“For once me and Raihan completely agree. However I think Raihan is still being too generous. This right here is exactly why I believe this whole contest is a sham. Its clear people cannot change when the clear cut example is standing right in front of us. This whole horrid display shows that you, Ursula, have not changed one bit. Your little narration only meant to garner audience pity, you trying to show us how much you’ve been humbled. When in reality you were just knocked down a few pegs and can’t hope for any other way for your reputation to recover. So for all of this, Ursula. For all of this? You get a 1. That’s it, that’s the only point you get from me.” Piper scoffed.

“Its only because I can admit the cage imagery had to have some thought behind it. And because Spirit directly told me I can’t give a single person a score of zero. As much as I would love to score you absolutely nothing right now.”

“I...I knew Piper could be harsh, but Raihan? Really?” Leon said. “Me and Spirit can’t really be the only ones at the table who believe that someone can change. I know Miss Ursula here doesn’t have a clean past but are you really letting that condemn her score-”

“Actually if I could interject Leon.” Spirit said flatly. His gaze fixed on Ursula with a disappointed stare. Yet there was also something malicious behind it. Something that set Leon on edge.  “I don’t believe that everyone can change. That’s just plain naivety and I’m tired of pretending it isn’t. You may be able to bounce back every time someone ends up not being the person you thought they were. But I don’t like having to do so. Which is why I’m echoing Piper in giving Ursula a 1 for her score. Ursula, I was happy to welcome you to this contest. It was great to see you were embracing the concept of change but this and your outburst in my dressing room? It really proves to me you haven’t changed a bit since the last time I interacted with you.”

Leon frowned. That wasn’t Spirit- Spirit wouldn’t be so harsh. So calculatingly cold. Or...perhaps he would be, and Leon never had reason to see him do so until now.

″I suppose there is no way I could ask you to reconsider your scoring, Spirit?” he asked.

“No.” was Spirit’s curt reply.

“....Fine. Well Ursula, I believe you were genuine! At least where it counts. This was perhaps, after all you are trying to repent for, a bit too flashy to start off with. True redemption takes work, and I feel you have some more time to go before you’re really ready to be here announcing it to the world. Still your imagery and symbolism was well done! So I will reward your aesthetics a 7 out of 10. While I cannot relate to the story you told, I do appreciate that you were willing to tell it. Its still something deeply personal to you, that much is clear. So I’ll give you a 8 out of 10 for that category. And my overall opinion for your appeal is also an 8 out of 10. I do apologize for the other judges harsh comments...I expected it from some but certainly not others.”

“Oh put a fucking sock in it Leon.” Spirit spat

“Oh am I not allowed to say I am absolutely appalled with your behavior right now, Spirit?” Leon questioned. “You’re just- you are not like yourself! Its awful to see how you’ve been treating the contestants since we started judging again. Its like you don’t even believe in your own bloody contest anymore!”

“....Leon this is exactly why Rose could pull the wool over your fucking eyes so well,” Spirit replied. “You’re too trusting. You want to believe everyone can be a good fucking person and its wrong. Not everyone in the world can do that. Not everyone in the world is you. Hell you can be plain fucking awful sometimes yourself, you know that?”

“Spirit-”

“Don’t ‘Spirit’ me, Leon! You know its true.” he growled. “I swear its like you never looked past your own fucking nice and pretty life to realize some people can have it rougher. Some people can be fucking awful people and maybe they deserve to be. Maybe they have a bit of a right to be as cruel as the world made them. But because your life was so fucking perfect, you try and force that ideal on everyone else! Its no wonder you couldn’t see the shit Rose was doing. It’s no wonder you didn’t believe the shit he did to me-!”

Leon slams his hands on the table, a scream in his throat that refuses to come out. Before he simply stands up and walks away from the judge’s table. Spirit doesn’t go after him.

“....Please turn your attention to the board for your score, Ursula.”

      “looking back on my old youtube account…ah, those were some good times.”

he actually really regrets some of the things he said but the opportunity to roast his abuser in such an open manner? priceless.

Spirit doesn’t seldom check twitter, for good reasons. Especially since he can’t even really log into the account he was forced to have for it. But he just checked the main page- and he’d be blind to miss whats trending on twitter right now. As much as he like to stay...neutral in this whole thing going on between Tobias and Ursula. This is going too far. This can’t be ignored- she’s going to end up hurting herself.

A few failed log in attempts later, he’s texting Leon.

{Txt}: Leon, I need my twitter password please.

{Txt}: Why? I thought you didn’t want to use most of these things?

{Txt}: Emergency. Please Leon?

Rosa - Wind of Agartha

Hailey - Repeat Days

Ursula - The Ending Has Lots of Coffee

Rufus - City in the Sky

He’s insane.

Absolutely fucking insane.

He shouldn’t do this but he feels like he should. His hand hovers on the trackpad of his laptop, his mouse parked on the “Call” button of a certain individual that he should not be speaking to, someone who doesn’t deserve the chance he’s about to give her. He stares at her name through narrowed eyes, brow furrowed as he thinks on her and everything she’s done, and everything that must have been done to her as well. Why is he doing this? What the hell is even the point? 

You want my opinion? I think she’s changed a lot, his grandfather had said. And he trusted Ezra’s opinion, but his distrust was stronger. At least, that’s what he thought until he’d opened FaceTime, pulled up her contact information, and even considered the notion of calling her. Yet there’s some truth to what his grandfather had told him all his life, not necessarily about her, but about situations like these in general. Is it really right for him to not do her the favor he’s considering, even if he had an extremely compelling reason to absolutely loathe her with everything he has? 

[Read the full drabble here!]

Mickey is not responsible for Aqua’s time in the Realm of Darkness. 

I realize it’s the Hip Cool Thing to do to drag the mouse, and he has had plenty of moments where he proves to be a rat gremlin, but I’m of the belief of hating characters for the right reason and this ain’t one of em.

1) There were multiple, MUCH more immediate threats that came before looking into the RoD was even an option. Was he useful? No, because this is an anime game and the children are the heroes regardless of any adult presence. But it was responsible for him to be there to help anyway. Because surely Aqua wouldn’t have been MORE upset had Mickey abandoned the kids she’d endeared herself to for the purpose of looking for her while Xehanort#5094853049 was rampaging.

2) The realm of darkness is canonically in a state of warping and shifting. There’s no one singular path to anything because the world is a broken, unbound and constantly reforming mess that only has a handful of fixed points with no concise way to reach any of them. Aqua only found the dark beach after YEARS of wandering by herself. Both times Riku found the beach (the second being with Mickey) are confirmed to be extremely good luck that they found it at all, and even then Aqua was still so deep in darkness that they couldn’t reach her regardless. Even had he left to find her before, would it have been likely that he’d have found her in any more reasonable time?? No. It’s really not that likely. Especially not with Nomura at the wheel

"Are you laughing at me? Do you wanna get egged too?" (Ursula)

“You put your dad on the spot...” She whispered. Clearly Zoey got his permission, she supposed. “Your Pokemon clearly wanted to participate in something so deep and personal and meaningful to you. You showcased that beautifully - your Mismagius was reenacting something he was actually there for and your Gallade’s emotions seemed very genuine too. And you made wonderful use of the former past life, as well as Gallade’s natural mastery over martial arts. Flip flopping between forms that often is rather taxing though, so I hope Mismagius gets a well-deserved break after this.” She didn’t know Sinnoh National Team regulations but surely Zoey did not use team members back to back? “45 points!”

She took a deep breath - that appeal was heavy on the electricity... “I think this is a perfect example of the Smart category - a story, and so metaphorical! You have to think to understand it, nothing is spoon fed to you, and it’s so emotional and moving too! Even if it was maybe very sad at some points - life is sad sometimes. I think you struck a great balance between trainer participation and not overshadowing your Pokemon but I am a little disappointed that a lot of Mismagius’s participation was in Luxray form with a lot of flip flopping back and forth. It kind of felt like you were overusing the technique. And, ah...Mega Evolution AND a z move in the same Appeal? It’s kind of overkill, I think? But I think it was very sweet of you to do this topic in honor of your father and his Pokemon. 33 points!”