author's note
- thank you saffron and isa for critiquing!

“C'mon… I would never, ever date Dallas Winston,” I told Marcia the moment we climbed out of Randy's car. It was a blue Mustang, and a real classy one too. He had gotten it about four months ago, and we've been cruising around ever since. Marcia sighed contentedly as we watched it swerve away through the cool night air.

“C'mon… I would never, ever date Dallas Winston,” I told Marcia the moment we climbed out of Randy's car. It was a blue Mustang, and a real classy one too. He had gotten it about four months ago, and we've been cruising around ever since. Marcia sighed contentedly as we watched it swerve away through the cool night air.

“I know that, Cherry.” She raised her eyebrows. “You don't like Coca Cola, anyway.”

I half-smiled at that. Marcia was a real good friend, and she was right. I wouldn't have taken the drink even if I had wanted to.

I mean, I knew it wasn't my fault that the Socs and the Greasers hated each other. I just didn't get why. That kid I talked to - Ponyboy - we weren't much different. And Bob and Dally were just two sides of the same coin!

At my side, Marcia was staring off into the distance, hands in her pockets. She had given her number to Two Bit earlier, and I could tell she was thinking of him. It was just a matter of waiting, though I didn't see much changing anytime soon. I mean, as if a Greaser would go for a Soc like us- why did things have to be so complicated?

The same thing was on my mind a week later, although the situation was really very different. Whatever turn of events that had led me to being a “spy” for the Greasers would be too much to go through, but, somehow, I found myself spending my Saturday night driving to the hospital.

Now, I know what you're thinking. What was I doing at the hospital when I had just told Ponyboy that I wasn't gonna go visit Johnny? Thing is, I hadn't forgotten that Dally was injured too. And I guess that when I read the local paper, some part of me realised that just because someone's mostly dangerous doesn't mean that they're fully bad. So yes, Dally was a criminal, but he sure had a heart of gold.

I felt like a bit of an outsider, walking into his room. Not a full Greaser, but not a full Soc either. Just a person, really. A person visiting a friend.

I was greeted with the glint of a blade as Dally shot up in his bed.

“Goodness! Dally, where on earth did you get that knife from?”

“Uh… Two Bit?” came the cautious reply, and, irritatingly enough, he grinned. “Why, you scared?”

I was a little, but shook my head. “No! Of course not… I just wanted to see how you're doing, being burnt and all.”

“Jesus, I'm doing fine. No need to come visit, Soc.”

I knew he was joking by then because of the way that he spoke, and we went into an easy conversation from there. It was slightly guarded, slightly offensive, but still nice enough. It seemed almost too soon when he sprang out of bed and started to head for the door.

“Hey, where you going?” I asked, hoping he wasn't off to that dreadful fight.

“You seriously don't know that there's a rumble going on today?” Then, just like that, he was gone.

I didn't see Dally again after that, though I definitely still thought of him. And it's been rough, but things are rough all over, and at least I now know one thing for sure:

I will never, ever date Dallas Winston.

good morning/afternoon parents, teachers, friends and other people. its an honor to stand here today, but i know i didn’t get here by myself. my name is ari. this is my very amazing speech about my first year of .

when i first arrived here, i was really nervous, i didnt really know a lot of people here at first, however, after a few days, i became friends with more people than i expected and i felt more comfortable than before.

i would like to thank all of my friends for being amazing, my teachers for being amazing, and me for being the most amazing person in this school.

but seriously, im very thankful for everyone that has helped me in this school.

you guys were amazing (but not as amazing as me) and thank you for existing and helping me.

i’ve met really kind and cool people, and they all made me laugh, smile, and other emotions.

to my fellow classmates, thank you for everything, no matter if you change schools, or stay in , i’ll always remember you. i know theres some of you who i have had really good relationships with, and i wish you all the best next school year.

the jays loved rejean. he had a gross habit of leaving his crusts on his windowsill, sometimes scattered with stolen seeds or nuts intended for the court’s caged menagerie. he invited them into his life, sketching their delicate feathers and energetic movements as he watched them play and eat from his windowseat.

olivia used to laugh at the sight of him, haloed by wings and chirping beaks. that was years ago, and she is olivia no longer, and far too concerned with a facade of seriousness to take part in his antics.

torlin’s eyes would sparkle at how a jay would so often swoop down to greet rejean, as together they wandered campus during a lesson. rejean read once that a defunct sect of divinity had cherished corvids as particularly sensitive to the currents of the spirits. he never got the chance to ask torlin about that.

frey, foolish, headstrong frey, was terrified of small birds. nevermind she spent so much time in the falconry, nevermind she had hand-raised several of the university’s finest birds of prey. if a jay approached rejean while she was around, she jumped and screeched and huffed at the laughter of their companions.

hugo. hugo, stop this. hugo, let me rest. hugo, this is not rig—

he set out crusts and nuts and attracted only squirrels. everybody knows anyone can get the attention of squirrels, they have horrible judgment.

as a gift at new year’s shortly before his disappearance, they had a sigil created in his honor, a joyous jay midflight, beak clutching a jewel. it was engraved in the university archives, taking its place next to the lord charles’ sturdy buck, and a gold ring was cast for rejean’s pinkie finger. it was beautiful, just as he was.

not how it ha—

to him, the jays were a manifestation of this. certainly the spirits moved with his overwhelming affection, leading the jays right to him.

(i matter. he matters. the love does not evaporate. my work will make it true.)

hugo loved on, despite the pain, and the birds followed him on his pilgrimage across the continent.
the jays love rojan.

It’s time for the end. The curtain lifts, the audience is electric with energy surging through the entire building, and the final song plays out. The dancers leap across the stage, feet barely skimming the floor before they’re in the air again, effortlessly spinning towards everything and nothing at all.

It’s a beautiful sight. But I have a job to do. So as the dancers rise again and the song continues, I flicker the lights, watching them pace across the building, shining on faces and bodies. The star of the show, ignoring its magical performers, is the chandelier that hangs above the center of the stage, ancient and antique, glowing with flames under the spotlight’s beam.

The real star of the show, the performer Angelica Maria, skips across the golden wood until she is directly under the chandelier.
The moment has come.

“You’ve had your last laugh this time, Tomason. Her family is furious—one accident is an accident, two is a cooincedence, three is extremely strange, and four is undoubtedly intentional. What do you have to say for yourself?”
I shrugged my shoulders, thinking of the four and the places they must be now. “We are too poor to afford quality materials.”
“I was in the audience, Tomason. It was full to the brim. I paid good money for my ticket, as did all of the fine folk in the audience. Where is it going if not to pay for quality materials?”
I shrugged again. The truth was to help the four in their new lives, wherever they may be. “The building is expensive.”
“That was given to you. I think the truth is this: you’re a murderer. There has never been an accident in Elegieria Hall.”

Hello!! Im am super exciting to critique this since i love poems but as a bit of a reminder take my advice with a grain of salt since i am not great with poetry <3

Oooo this has a super cool vibe to it!!! I love the descriptions and how vivid the imagery is. One thing is a bit confusing to me, and thats the use of the word anasethetic in the third line, since its making me think of a medical ennviorment rather than someone who is in space, which clashes the two vibes a bit.

I like this part a lot!! I dont really have any critique for it, if you wanted a descriptor for the emotions and feeling it invokes i’d go with like a slowness, like we can see the desperation from the use oft he words gulp and swim, but you do a really nice job of keeping the pace still slow despite that which is really cool to read

I like this a lot too!! Personally im not a huge fan of the ending of the last line here, it might be just me but the “like always” seems to invoke something different than the rest of this part. I dont feel like im getting a sense for what “like always” means in this context, which makes it slightly confusing to read!

Ooooo i love this part!! This is my favorite part so far and again i really love the contrast of the words, of trying to save someone whilst “ripping their heart out.” similarly to the last part, im not a huge fan of the last two lines since they have a very different feel from the rest of the stanza (sorry if thats not what its called lol!). Like i understand whats going on but i feel like the last line about seeing it in a thousand years could have more punch to it, if you get what i mean!

I dont think i have any feedback for this part! You mentioned that the astronaut was losing oxygen, and i cant quite tell if this is meant to be them getting oxygen again or if theyre just hallucinating it.

I LOVE the last part of this, it feels really satisfying to read if that makes sense. The only thing that i would maaaaybe change is adding another mention of eyes somewhere in this part to draw it together, but its not necessary at all!

Im running out of ways to say i really like this part!! Maybe its just me but its a little confusing to read the second stanza from the last, and the ending “and that coin used to be earth” just feels a little clunky to me. Maybe something like “but now the coin that used to be earth is blocking my throat.” just to give it a restructuring to make it flow a tiny bit better!!

Ooooooo i like this a lot!! I especially like that it starts and end with the same line. I dont think i have any feedback for this part!! To answer your questions, yes i think it makes sense structurally, i like the parts a lot though i think it could be interesting to see them all kept to one word, because IV and VII feel like outliers for not being one word like the others!! I think it does make sense as a whole!! I dont know if this is helpful but i like that the first and only mention of actually being in space isnt at the beginning. Again this is super good and i love the vivid imagery!!! Great job and sorry if this critiques aren’t suited for poetry <3

character: azalea ?????
age: ???
description: a playful, bubbly, and cheerful individual who works for a mysterious goverment organization called “y”
appearance: blonde, with pink hair as short bangs. clips her hair up with a golden clip embedded with pearls. also doubles as a weapon. she has light green eyes, with ivory skin. you can never see her without pale, white gloves.
occupation: works at “y” as ?????
strenghts: getting along well with people, incredible deduction and observation skills, is easily motivated.
weaknesses: perfectionist, indecisive and is a terrible negotiator. rarely shares her opinions on most things, and has a terrible memory (must write everything she observes down).

acquantices:

- lisianthus: her cousin who's a famous and well-known fashion designer. knows about what she does at “y” and often designs clothes for her job and provides cover for her. despite not meeting much when they were younger, azalea supported lisianthus because despite the family ostracizing lisianthus. over time, the two have bonded after azalea left the family to work at “y”, leaving behind a pure and supportive friendship between the two of them.
- othera: her friend and queen of the lands. despite their interactions starting because of “y”, they are close friends. although azalea would never admit it out loud, she secretly feels intimidated by her and hopes she never does something that displeases othera.

for my character's mood board, i added a multitude of specific things that i think can reflect my character

- bubbles: i think bubbles are a perfect symbol of my character's playful and a little bit childish personality. as a kid, i'd often blow bubbles, and i was quite the energetic child, so i think that my character's personality would resemble child me.
- glasses: these glasses shows my character's keen eye and how she can notice many things, all at once.
- the slightly cold image of the strawberries: used to show my character's job at “y”
- the reflection of a tree: to show perfection, as the image is symmetrical when flipped. it represents how my character wishes her work to be perfect.
- pink paper: i chose this to show my character's less-than-perfect memory, and how she always has to jot stuff down.
- dress: highlights my character's friendship with lisianthus. lisianthus is a fashion designer, and the dress can be something that she gifted azalea.
- paints: the paints illustrates my character's motivation. it requires a lot of motivation to finish an art piece, and motivation is something that azalea has plenty of.
- lolipops: the multitude of lolipops symbolizes how azalea is able to connect with people and how most people enjoy seeing her.

swap with @hermionevoiceactress

she stared at the waters beneath her, filled with plenty of people swimming and lousing around. yet, despite all that excitement and cheer, there was still the small, small tiny chance that one of them might drown.
just like her best friend when they were little.
it was a good thing that lily was able to save them. but so close, perhaps one second late and she would've…
how her friend had seeped underneath the water and flalied, unable to get back up, and how lily had to pull her up, using all her non-existant strength, and how it almost been too late, too late, because she was underwater and her lungs had almost ran out of oxygen.
but that was all in the past now. surely, maybe surely, she could save someone now if they decide to submerge underwater once again.
yes, she was stronger now. she was braver, she learned so much more. if someone were to drown, she could save them. she had to save them!
yes, yes, lily was better. and she shouldn't dwell on the past. look forward to the summer.
but, oh dear…the loom of school on the horizon when summer ends.
no, no. best not to think about it now.
“are you okay, lily?” said the little voice of juliana watching her from below lily's lifeguard seats.
“yes. just remeniscing…” replied the lifeguard. it was best not to tell her what had she'd been thinking so far. she didn't want her younger cousin to think of her as incapable.
“can you swim with me?” pleaded the little girl, eyes shaped into that of a puppy.
“no, i have a job to do. stay with me, okay?”
the little girl pouted. lily tried smiling back. in truth, the latter was worried. what happens if juliana submerges under water, just like her best friend when they were younger?
the risk was too high. better to let her stay here, with her, then to swim. despite swimming being a wonderful and enjoyable thing that lily liked as well.
“why are you always so busy??” pouted juliana. “first it was school, and then your job. when will you play with me?”
“soon, soon. soon i promise.”
“you've promised that 3 weeks ago!”
“listen, i'm sorry, alright. i do try my best, its just that life's getting in the way.”
speaking of getting in the way, what will she do about those pirates?
and what if…what if they've managed to kidnap her little cousin? what would she do then?
no…likely won't happen. hopefully not. they surely can't get here…right?
“when is your job doneee?” asked juliana, poking the lifeguard chair multiple times.
“soon. be patient.”
the little girl pouted again, poking the chair multiple times. “i want to leave. its too sunny.”
“i thought you enjoyed swimming?” said lily.
“you're not letting me swimm!” exclaimed the girl. “i want to play in the sand too, but no one will play with me.”
“my shift ends at 5. it's in 30 minutes, alright?”
juliana scowled. “finee.”

azalea walked around the park, her eyes bouncing around everywhere. the grass was emerald, healthy. nothing to worry about, hopefully.
all the sudden, she saw a person with light brown hair, tied up in a ponytail. odd. she'd never seen them before, not usually here anyways.
“curious, curious indeed…” she said to herself. usually, people visited this park in a routine. after all, this park wasn't known for being a tourist attraction. and she hadn't remembered any new citizens moving to the area near here.
azalea checked her paper crumbled in her pocket. nothing of note. it wouldn't hurt to initiate a conversation with them.
and so, azalea approached the mystery person and asked, “hello! are you new here? i haven't seen you around.”
“oh hello there! i'm just searching for a spot to read…”
“read? oh, i see,” said azalea, noticing the book that the girl held in her arm. “20000 leagues underneath the sea?”
“yes. it's an excellent book, and i really want to finish it.”
“interesting!” azalea clapped her hands, beaming. “what it's about?”
“it's a science fiction novel about a yearlong journey on the sea.”
“interesting indeed! do you enjoy swimming?” asked azalea, ever so curious.
“yes, it's one of my favorite hobbies.” replied the person.
“i would love to get to know you better! what's your name?”
“lily. lily marcet.” replied lily. “do you enjoy reading?”
“a little bit. it's not one of my favorites. i prefer writing more.”
frankly, what azalea had to write were reports. nothing but reports of recent activities and suspicious individuals. it likely wasn't what lily had in mind, but it certaintly wasn't lying either.
“cool!” the women exclaimed.
“certainly!” replied azalea. “do you need any recommendations for reading spots?”
“oh yes, definitely. i want somewhere near my job, as a lifeguard near the beach.”
aha! now that was why azalea never met saw lily before. the area near the beach wasn't where she was ever assigned. who was tasked with that area again….?
“ooh, well there's the cafe around a mile from the beach. the owner there is incredibly generous, and the drinks are delicious.” replied azalea.
“i'll certainly visit there sometimes!”
“do you enjoy your job?” asked azalea. “whenever i'm at the beach, i'm always quite scared of the lifeguards.”
“really? hah, i promise you we aren't that serious,” joked lily. “and i do quite like it. it's just that i'm always…ah nevermind.”
now that's curious. there's something that makes this new person uncertain. interesting. better not to push for it to avoid suspicion.
“oh don't worry. i'm sure you're a great lifeguard,” azalea assured lily.
“thank you.” responded lily. “perhaps we should go to the beach tommorow? you can see me work.”
“of course!”
and the two exchanged contacts, then left their seperate ways.
azalea quickly wrote down what she've learned from this encounter and sent it to “y”.
***
the next day, azalea met up with lily up on the beach. the latter was already up on the lifeguard chair, staring at the waters down below.
“do you…ah…sit up here all day?”
“yes. and when i spot someone breaking the rules, or anything else, i blow my whistle.”
“what happens when someone drowns?”
“let's hope it never comes to that.” lily shivered. “but in the rare case that it does…i swim towards them, and try to rescue with the best of my abilities.”
hmm. the mention of drowning caused a clear discomfort in lily. perhaps a traumatic past involving drowning?
“oh…i see.”
“mhm. perhaps later, we can go swimming together?”
“yes, that would be amazing,” said azalea, smiling.