Falcon2001

First off, thanks to everyone who commented I really enjoy getting feedback. Secondly, it will not turn into an Ender's Game ripoff - The dream was much different and much more vivid. The whole school setup is the same...though I suppose I should eventually get across the entire idea of the kids being 17 years old or so, not preteens like Ender's Game. Also, I will go back and look again at those lines - I wanted to give the impression that the men in black had become so much a part of the tableau that Jeral completely glazes over their existence. Jeral is a much different character than my usual ones, and so please bear with me while I try and adjust. I'm trying to keep true to the dream and still maintain enough creative liscence to have some fun. Also, this story is highly symbolic in many ways. The name of the Academy, Oroborous, is the name of the World-eater snake, or the symbol of a snake eating it's own tail. You'll have to find out what it means on your own, but be aware of minor symbology in this story - but no completely wacko symbolism hopefully. Anyway though, I'll keep writing as soon as I get some more free time.

Jeral woke up and wondered where he was. He blinked, trying to clear away the strands of sleep from his blurry vision. The sight of Irene lying next to him brought the whole trip back into focus, and he relaxed. Outside the sleeping compartment he could hear people talking excitedly. Fumbling around in the dark for the catch, he felt Irene stir awake. "So where are we?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Jeral shrugged, finding the catch. "I'm about to go find out." he replied. He pushed the door of the little cubicle open and swung down onto the bus floor. The sun shone in through the large windows, and Jeral guessed it to be a little before noon. All around him more of the kids were already up and moving - he appeared to have slept in. Suddenly he realized that one of the large men in the black suits was standing right next to him and looking around impassively. He looked slightly startled, wondering how he had managed to get so close to him without him noticing. Before he could give the matter much more thought, the big man started to talk. "Prospective students of Oroborous Academy, your attention please." All over the bus groups of kids looked up with the same mildly shocked expression on their faces as Jeral had had. The pockets of conversation slowly died, and the only sound was that of the bus rolling along the road. "We will be entering the school grounds in less than one hour. Before we reach the Academy, you will each be placed into a group of fellow students. We will select the leaders of these groups and then the leaders will each select another two people to serve as sub-captains. After the selections are complete, you will be assigned names for each of your groups." Jeral raised his hand. "Sir, what is the purpose -" The man turned to face him. "No questions - you learn through action at the Academy." He seemed to hesitate, as if listening to something far away. "You are the first captain." The man turned and walked back to where he had been standing for - as far as Jeral could guess - several hours. The kid with the shock of black hair quickly named himself a captain, as did a quiet looking kid that wore way too much clothing for this time of year. Jeral was at a loss as for what to do, standing silently as the two other captains quickly chose co-captains and started filling up their ranks. Soon there were only scattered clumps of people and two large groups. Jeral looked to the men in black for some sort of advice and recieved only a stony stare. He shrugged. "Everyone who doesn't have a group, you're in mine." Kids began filtering in from all over the place, and soon he was standing in front of a ragged clump of mildly confused-looking guys and girls. "I need two co-captains." he said, looking around. Two people stepped forward with upraised hands. "Okay then, good. You two'll be the co-captains. Any arguments?" He looked around at the silence, then nodded. "Good, let's wait for our name assignment."

Hey I gotta run, but please tell me what you think of Oroborous Academy.

Jeral jolted awake, momentarily disoriented by his surroundings. For a second he felt trapped and awkward, until he realized that everything was fine, and he was on a bus. He momentarily wondered who the girl was that was sleeping on him, but somehow he wasn’t worried. Soon enough he remembered that she was Irene, and the events that led to their meeting. Around the bus, most of the kids were slumbering. The guy who had been chatting animatedly was now snoring away, surrounded by a group of similarly affected boys and girls. They were all paired off by now, and Jeral noticed that almost all of the people had been set up into pairs, a boy and a girl. A slip of a girl with fiery red hair was attached to the black-haired kid, sleeping peacefully. Jeral quietly extricated himself from under Irene and stood up, stretching sore limbs. He cast a cursory glance towards the front of the cabin and found the huge men still standing there impassively, though they may have been different than before. He couldn’t tell – but his mind dismissed it without a second thought. His CD player had run out of batteries though, and he was set upon by a sudden boredom. He looked around and noticed for the first time cabinets above the seats. He opened one and looked inside to find that it was a sleeping compartment instead of just a storage area. “Oh, look at that.” A sleepy voice murmured from behind him. He turned to find Irene standing wearily. He blushed. “I had hoped not to wake you.” “Oh, don’t worry about it too much. I wasn’t that far asleep anyway. We drove through a security checkpoint about an hour ago, and I woke up to the bright lights.” She looked at the cabinet, appraising its volume. “Wonder if it’d hold both of us?” He turned crimson as ideas raced through his head, but in the dim light of the cabin she seemed not to notice. “I suppose so…looks pretty roomy.” She yawned. “Alright then, you climb in first – I’m a little claustrophobic at times.” Jeral scrambled up onto the seat and then hesitated. He looked over at the uniformed men at the end of the bus. Their faces could have been made of bronze or blood-stained iron in the reddish light of the cabin. He hung back a second longer, then hoisted himself up into the bed. It was lightly padded on all sides, and there was a single large pillow in the center. Irene poked her head in and grinned. “Wow, kind of cozy in here, don’t you think?” Not waiting for a response, she rolled in with a feminine grace and settled in next to him, snuggling close. Once again he found himself inextricably drawn to Irene. Her hair smelled like lotus petals, and he found himself putting his arms around her and drawing her nearer to him. She squirmed a little, but didn’t fight him, smiling enigmatically. They touched lips, but did not kiss. Sleep rolled in like the fog over a moonlit bay, claiming them both within minutes.

I was dreaming last night and I dreamed the basis for this story, the Oroborous Academy. I remember clearly several scenes and even more clearly the overlying ideas of the story. As is the case with many writers, I have no choice on this, I must write o_O. Anyway here's the first bit. Chapter One The bus rumbled on endlessly as the children inside bantered and chattered. It was a big sickly orange bus, filled with pea-green seats – filled, in turn, by an assortment of teenage specimens. They were all excited to be going away to their destination. None of them had ever gone this far away from their homes before, and the nervous energy crackled through the bus almost audibly. The bus seats were another source of excitement, though short-lived. Instead of the standard front-facing arrangement, the seats faced each other so as to almost encourage interaction between the teens. Near the back, a tall kid with close-cropped black hair joked and laughed with a group of friends. They were making crude jokes, and some of the girls were pretending to be shocked, passing mouths in front of faces and making flirtatious gestures. The flirting had been going on almost unabated, though disagreements between students were quickly shut down by the men in the uniforms near the front. The students had been suspicious of the passive, monolithic figures in the dark uniforms at first, but had quickly lost all fear of them, caught up in the unknown that continually flashed by them. A brown haired boy sat near the middle of the bus, facing back towards the more adventurous types in the back. Every once in a while he looked up and scanned over the various groups, making assessments, choosing plans, creating words, and instantly trashing it all and resigning himself to his plight. When not watching everyone the music thrummed through his headphones hypnotically, lending the whole ride an otherworldly affair to him. A girl bumped into him and he looked up, his eyes instantly taking in her form almost unknowingly. She was holding onto a rail above him, leaning over slightly with her hair falling in front of her face. The position drew attention to points of anatomy that he tried hard not to think about. She had a mischievous grin on her face, and she was saying something that drowned into the repetitive beat of his music. He pulled off the headphones and looked at her again. “I said, could I listen to your headphones for a bit? Mine’s all packed away in my bag.” She grinned widely. “If I had known that the ride was going to be this long though, I probably would have brought mine.” The boy shrugged and handed her the headphones, brushing hair out of his eyes. His hand momentarily strayed towards his ponytail, then jerked back down, conscious of a nervous habit. The girl put the headphones on and stuck the CD player in her pocket, swaying luxuriously to the music. The boy tried not to become distracted by the display and tried to look past her but his gaze kept straying. Her eyes were closed as she moved to the music, and a voice in the boy’s head argued that she knew that effect that music had on him. He attempted to force the thoughts out of his mind by looking around the bus, but he was unsuccessful. He turned back and looked surreptitiously at her swaying form, then found himself trapped in two ice-blue eyes that were full of humor. The girl leaned forward and grinned, showing bright white teeth. “So what were you looking at, boy?” she teased, leaning closer. The boy blushed and looked away just in time to see the bus take a wide turn. The girl tumbled into his lap, grabbing the back of his seat to catch herself with one arm and grabbing his arm with the other. Suddenly the boy found himself with a whole lapful of pleasantly soft female and wasn’t quite sure how to react. She made no attempt to move, and giggled at his blushing. “My name’s Irene.” The boy managed a faint smile in response. “Jeral.” The girl smiled again. “That’s an interesting name, where’d you get it?” Jeral opened his mouth, and then closed it, looking faintly put off. “I – I don’t remember. I suppose it’s not terribly important though. Probably something my mother came up with when she was pregnant. She always did enjoy fantasy, at least I think.” Irene laughed again and drew a little closer to him. Jeral tried to focus on the fleeting memory, but the present quickly overcame his past. He shifted a little, and his hand ended up resting on her hip. Her eyes were tinged with mystery, and he was entirely unprepared for the entire proceeding. She grinned again and set her head down on his shoulder. “I’m glad we’re introduced – at least now I know someone on here.” Jeral nodded in agreement and relaxed, his sense of disbelief at least temporarily swallowed by the relaxing effect of physical contact. He drifted off soon after, with Irene curled up on his lap.

A lot of times you just need to accept them in their entirety and move on. Grudging these memories more of your time doesn't do anything productive, merely takes up more time and energy you could be using effectively to produce more of a life. Aardvark brings up an excellent point which can be taken to extremes easily enough - strip away the excess. In despair, I of course have taken that way too far, going far enough to strip away food, friends, and pleasure so that I could theoretically become stronger and more powerful. In the end you just end up hungry, tired, and lonely. There's a thin line, but I'm pretty sure that everyone could find it if they're honest with themselves. ID: Give donut. Super-Ego: But Mr. Fox-bailey's talking right now. ID: Don't care, give donut now. Hungry. Must pursue long-lasting meaningful monogamous relationship resulting in offspring.

This poem is based upon, and uses lines from a poem by Yeats I believe. I saw it in a movie, and it really stuck with me. Poorly fitted with gusty clothes I have not materials with which to praise All I have are my dreams Having naught, I spread my dreams before you Patchworks of bravery and deceit Hallowed and sacred in somber tones Every step crushes what once I hoped The roses that bore the seed of labor Flowers of dawn that break forth in colors I give up this, that I posess So that you may pass undirtied I soil my dreams to keep you pure Tread gently, dear, for you tread upon my dreams. Walk with a gentle step, for they are my wealth.

Hopefully I'll have more professional versions done up by tomorrow night, when I'll have access to the recording stuff again.

My parents had a party so I was able to use the recording equipment already set up to do all the work.

Hey everyone, I finally managed to get some of my stuff recorded last night, and then I got 'em uploaded so all can hear! Remember End of the Road There you guys go - critiques are welcome, though I do already realize that they suck.

I accept.

*Sees the topic, reads the posts, and then sighs and walks away instead of answering*

Harden the interior To combat which is exterior Excellent line - I really identify with the feeling behind it, and the rhyme is simply fantastic.

Happy Birthday, Annael and Zen!

Oh yeah and congratulations to everyone *hugs all around*

Holy cow - you guys have to run errands? Sweet! This'll be fun

Good poem, dear! I especially liked the bits like "and me without my bridge" or "and you without your superglue." The whole shattered porcelain is quite a powerful image to me, but that's probably more personal experience.

"Foul" Staring out past the glass Towards the fragile dawn Watching it arise Burning brightly Why do I burn inside Why does my passion flare To anger and fury When I least expect Feeling foul inside today Wanting to scream at everyone Tomorrow looks dim Do I even show up? World grows dim Tinged red with fury Patience leaves My friends draw away It wants to burst out In a sonic outburst Of magnitudes Unknown But if I do I'll Die.

Happy Birthday you two! Have a wonderful day!

Hey all - those of you who haven't heard of the Gutenberg Project might want to check this out. And even better if you go here: http://www.gutenberg.net/cdproject/index.shtml You can sign up to have a FREE CD or DVD filled with these books delivered to your house for nothing. I read about this on slashdot and thought it was really cool and checked it out, so I figured I'd show the rest of you this - save us all quite a few trips to the library for book reports and research papers.

"Zero-one." Numbers flare with invasive speed Darting quickly 'cross the screen's spread I wish I could touch them But something holds me back Something screaming no

I like the semi-schema you have here, while maintaining the freedom of a freewrite. The word Distressing could almost be discussing though, that's one thing I noticed

With the freewrites coming more and more often as of late, I decided to put them all in one thread, and thereby create something I could eventually print and fling at people. "In my hands" The world was gray Nothing left alive the colors leak'd out long ago leaving husks of gray behind The gray stared at me with lidless malicious gaze I turn'd my face away but I could feel it still The rain froze to my expos'd skin Sending tendrils of pain shooting Until warmth was a gray memory And then was gone Fleeing spiderlike from the horrid Overpowering Gray I clutch'd tightly the bouquet I had found in a brighter land The only color left in this world As I walk'd home from the Gray bus The petals were cloak'd in luscious pink Which at that time seem'd more real than anything I had seen before Defying the tyrannical monochromistic Color schema that had engulf'd the walk home The stems were beauty and truth and light The green so vibrant I look'd away Despite the healing force they brought And so my fragile heart endured The wretch'd comp'ny that walk presented Refresh'd and oriented towards The colors I clutch'd in my frozen hand

The computer screen fills up The corner of my room with images Blinding lights softly caress But outside all is dark Do I go to bed or wait? Hiding in this puddle of light Dreading the descent into the lazy clutches of slumber? I hide in my little patch of digital light And fear the darkness And sleeping most of all.

love crawls sarpentine flowing into craX0rs UnKnnown fiLling up spaces insde then leaving wirhOut Apology!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11 Nature 4bhors a vacuum i|\|s1de m3 - unnatural????????????? becuz u sX0r!!!!!!111~~~~~ life seem 0dd and dis joint ed at times.. l0ve hurtS ending teh pAin brings more in ac ucl3 of freudian auspIcion i crqwwL i|\|side myfilmy sou;l wrappingm ytse7f in gauzy sin my poetic mind fasdcin8s 1tsrlf drawing e\/ar inwaR, spinning sp1rasl cnovolate and irrrigate my mind with chaaos evar inwaRd - outward 1s odd odd!?!?!???!??!? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111~~~~~~~ *DNAP, SNAP* Threw my last poem through the dialectizer, figured I'd show you guys the result. http://www.rinkworks.com/dialect/ That's the site - have fun