[Objective]

Symetrik - Interesting image choice you guys got, will be cool to see how you both approach it.

when I get home from school, I eat some cauliflower as slowly as I can,
then gather my studying tools (a pen and a pad, and the notes that were from class);
^Enjoying the scene, would maybe try to remove some syllables here and there in the second line (and the notes that were from class), things like that so it doesn't seem more stretched than it is. Nitpicking, obviously

Politics always bored me too, haha. Unless we were discussing it freely so I can kinda relate to this.
cuz my thoughts have been swiftly swooping like a swarm of locusts,
^Nice

“Hey, batter, batter!!”

now I’m wearing a glove and a ballcap and looking up to my subconscious floating above,
”Where’s the laughter, mad hatter?” Alice asks as she offers me some colourful drugs.
where is the laughter, anyway? fuck, I could make things enjoyable no matter how lame…
I lift my face from my hands and shake out the daydream, which quickly fades from my brain.
^This I enjoyed, some meat to the story and developing the plot and mindstate.

I think up until the lighting lame, bugs being smushed and "ballcap and looking up to my subconscious floating above" might have taken a little long to start off your verse with something more than explaining in fine detail what your protagaonist don't enjoy about school and politics. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of potential A.D.D. making school even more difficult which is a pretty important detail as to why the rest doesn't come to them as easily. I'm torn between mentioning it earlier than u did, or that it's nice to get introduced to as we get to know his school situation and mind better.

All in all I enjoyed the read from the mind of what I now understand to be a pretty young child and not a teenager which I first envisioned. That's also another detail that might be smart to include earlier on as opposed to the end. Pretty direct take but decent showing overall. Good shit.

Regulator - Opener hits hard. Especially seeing how many people in my extended group of friends etc. have taken their own lives the past 10 years. Ye, the first stanza is dope to me and I like the character development and direction you're taking already.

Don't really got too much to say other than that I like the story and progression, a person with suicide notes and a rough life trying to stay afloat while deep in misery and grief along with suicidal ideation.

Vote - Regulator. His story hit me on an emotional level and I enjoyed the direction throughout. It seemed more together in a way, and not as abstract all of a sudden that I found Symetrik's piece to take which stylistically switched it up a little (which is fine and even wanted most of the time, it just was a bit abrupt considering the finer details and slower pace earlier) Personally for me I think I would have leaned towards Symetrik if the the most interesting parts (to me) came a bit earlier like the mad hatter, their relation to that, school and their parents, their age and who they are to paint the picture of our student a little clearer earlier like Regulator did on his opening line.

Liked the battle and read from both, interesting topic and it was cool to see how the writers attacked it