Porter

Wow.... just realized I haven't really ever let people see my real face..... Well, guess its time to see my blurry pic, straight from the webcam a month back (yeah, I don't much like my picture being taken lol....) Yeah.... I really need to clean out my closet back there.... Jacob

Moving this to forum games. -Porter

Topic moved to Forum Games -Porter

Been forever since I posted in here. Astro, two things. One, congrats on telling your dad. Personally, I haven't done that yet myself (mum knows, adores my boyfriend and whatnot) but Dad, well, frankly, I don't have the gonads to do it myself, so kudos to you. Second, I could just hug you right now. You are too cutely clueless. The guy asked YOU to dinner. That's going to count for something! I have a feeling the guy obviously either, A) likes you and is having the same issue of shyness, or, B) is testing the waters because he probably noticed you crushing like crazy on him. Make an effort and see where its going!!! As for you, Chptrk (god that name is a total double entendra ) all I have to say to you is, hanky alert!!!!! (Grabs piece of paper, rolls it up, and smacks said Kitty on the head ) Off to enjoy my happy pain pills from a muscle strain at work lifting large people all day. (And not the eye candy I WISH would come it to my ER....)

I give you the iHotdog*. * iMustard, iRelish, and iOnions not included.

Well, actually looks like I got some comments on this!!!! Time to reply!!! hamsterTK: You better. I know the guy that has all the bunnies on this site under his control. And he owes me a favor. BlondeTwiggy: Shame on you for ever leaving. And have we now intersted you in the fun field of cat herding? ky72x: Now you can! And welcome back!! Haven't seen you in my CJs for a while. (Note to self, never misspell CJ with PJ, this could cause problems...) mayorron: Thanks! I at least have a promise of eyecandy in each and every update. Archean: Are you seriously hitting on the mean drunk? Seriously?!? Jacqulina: As always, nice to see your comments. I'll be making updates both here and the new CJ section, so now you'll be able to catch all the fun updates! OK, now that that's over... Well, I'm slowly getting the update done today so I can post it. As a few of you know, I photoshop the heck out of my pictures, rightfully so. Levels have to be changed, layers added, wetness provided... wait.... wetness? Anyways... I should be posting the very first chapter here in a couple of hours (maybe I'll delay it until tomorrow just to be evil...) and figured while taking a break to just post an update and a sneak peek at the chapter header for all of you to see. See! Isn't it pretty? Anyways, that's all I have for now. I'll leave you with something extra though. How cool would it have been to see this at Liverpool Station??? Jacob

Not exactly snow covered in this one, but slowly getting there! Jacob

The Perishers- Come Out of the Shade James Bassler’s home was a quaint two-story house nestled deep within a quiet subdivision. But in spite of the cozy charm of the house’s exterior, the interior was a bastion of technology. In the living room, a large, high definition television comprised almost half of one wall by itself, complete with a theater style sound system and a vast library of Blu-rays and CDs. Walking around in awe, Noah spotted James’ collection of video game systems, from a Playstation 4 and Nintendo Eon to the now archaic Xbox 360. James watched the young teenager look around with all the wonder of a child in an amusement park and was pleased. It made him happy to know that someone could derive joy from his things. He had not purchased them out of any particular need or want; he had simply wanted to fill the own void in his life left by- “Dr. Bassler?” “Hmm?” James was glad for the interruption. Noah looked shyly down at his feet. “Is it okay… if… later… I could….” His downcast eyes shifted towards the guitar-shaped controller for the Guitar Hero video game. James grinned. “Of course you can Noah. You can play whatever you want.” “Thank you.” The depth of the young man’s voice signified a greater gratitude than simply being allowed to play a video game. “You’re welcome,” James said. He turned away from Noah, as much to hide his own emotions as to let the boy continue looking around. Setting down his briefcase and walking upstairs, James shrugged off his suit jacket and tie, and unfastened the first few buttons of his shirt. He stepped into his bedroom and tossed the jacket and tie onto his bed before going to a closet to grab bedding for the spare bedroom. He walked out of the room and into the second bedroom of the house, trying not to think about the last person who used it. After making the bed, he began to walk back down the stairs, pausing at the foot when he saw what Noah was looking at. With a small, tired sigh, he entered the living room and walked over to the teen. A collection of framed photographs sat on a small end table in the corner of the room. Noah was currently holding the largest of these in his hands, looking at the faces that had happily posed so very long ago. Noah glanced up at James and immediately returned the photograph to the table. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “We really need to work on your excessive need to apologize, Noah.” James picked up the picture and held it out so the both of them could see it. “If you’re going to be staying here, I don’t expect you not to look at anything.” In the photo, there was a man with short black hair and square-framed glasses, holding a little girl with pigtails. The man posed with a friendly smirk while the little girl smiled cheerfully. “Who are they?” Noah inquired. James stared at the picture for a moment before saying, “My family.” Noah glanced questioningly at James, who took a deep breath before continuing. “His name is Marcus,” James explained, pointing at the man’s smirking face. “He was my partner.” “Oh.” Noah turned back to the picture as James’s finger trailed down to the little girl. “Her name is Alyssa. She’s Marcus’ daughter… but I always thought of her as mine, too.” “Where…?” Noah began, not wanting to be too nosy. “Marcus died a few years ago in a car accident.” James stared sadly at the photo. “I had no legal rights to Alyssa… even though I helped to raise her and she even called me-“ James couldn’t bring himself to say the word. He cleared his throat and continued. “Anyway… after Marcus died her mother came and got her… and I haven’t seen her since.” James placed the photo back on the table. “I get pictures and cards, though,” he said, as if that made up for it. Staring at the faces of his lost family, James could feel Noah’s gaze upon him. For the moment, it was too much for him to bear and he quickly changed the subject. “So what would you like for dinner?” James walked into the kitchen and began to rummage through the pantry, nosing through various boxed items. “I can’t promise you that I’m much of a cook, but I haven’t killed myself yet, so that’s saying something.” Standing in front of the open pantry door, James paused as he felt a hand gently ease into his. Noah’s hand was small, soft, and warm. James shut his eyes against the sting of tears, finding it ironic that his own personal tragedy was all it took to get him to open up. He tightened his hold on Noah’s hand and gently caressed the boy’s wrist with his thumb. After a few minutes, James sniffed and cleared his throat. He stared down into Noah’s blue eyes with a grin. “Can you cook?” he asked. For the first time since James met him, Noah Warden smiled. It was a thing to behold. WOW! It's been FOREVER since I last update. School has been hectic and so have the holidays. I can't believe that I won Best Story CJ, on top of Best Added Graphics AND Best CJ Support this year! Thanks to all of you for voting! Without you guys, I wouldn't be here. Anyways, I figured I'd try and bring in the new year with even more CJ goodies for all of you! This time around I figured I start a new idea on the extra shots. This week is the weather them.... including a few shots from the new region I'm working on! Don't forget to click on each picture in the update to get a full resolution of each one. Jacob PS: Expect some nice eye popping disasters next update

The Perishers- Come Out of the Shade James Bassler’s home was a quaint two-story house nestled deep within a quiet subdivision. But in spite of the cozy charm of the house’s exterior, the interior was a bastion of technology. In the living room, a large, high definition television comprised almost half of one wall by itself, complete with a theater style sound system and a vast library of Blu-rays and CDs. Walking around in awe, Noah spotted James’ collection of video game systems, from a Playstation 4 and Nintendo Eon to the now archaic Xbox 360. James watched the young teenager look around with all the wonder of a child in an amusement park and was pleased. It made him happy to know that someone could derive joy from his things. He had not purchased them out of any particular need or want; he had simply wanted to fill the own void in his life left by- “Dr. Bassler?” “Hmm?” James was glad for the interruption. Noah looked shyly down at his feet. “Is it okay… if… later… I could….” His downcast eyes shifted towards the guitar-shaped controller for the Guitar Hero video game. James grinned. “Of course you can Noah. You can play whatever you want.” “Thank you.” The depth of the young man’s voice signified a greater gratitude than simply being allowed to play a video game. “You’re welcome,” James said. He turned away from Noah, as much to hide his own emotions as to let the boy continue looking around. Setting down his briefcase and walking upstairs, James shrugged off his suit jacket and tie, and unfastened the first few buttons of his shirt. He stepped into his bedroom and tossed the jacket and tie onto his bed before going to a closet to grab bedding for the spare bedroom. He walked out of the room and into the second bedroom of the house, trying not to think about the last person who used it. After making the bed, he began to walk back down the stairs, pausing at the foot when he saw what Noah was looking at. With a small, tired sigh, he entered the living room and walked over to the teen. A collection of framed photographs sat on a small end table in the corner of the room. Noah was currently holding the largest of these in his hands, looking at the faces that had happily posed so very long ago. Noah glanced up at James and immediately returned the photograph to the table. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “We really need to work on your excessive need to apologize, Noah.” James picked up the picture and held it out so the both of them could see it. “If you’re going to be staying here, I don’t expect you not to look at anything.” In the photo, there was a man with short black hair and square-framed glasses, holding a little girl with pigtails. The man posed with a friendly smirk while the little girl smiled cheerfully. “Who are they?” Noah inquired. James stared at the picture for a moment before saying, “My family.” Noah glanced questioningly at James, who took a deep breath before continuing. “His name is Marcus,” James explained, pointing at the man’s smirking face. “He was my partner.” “Oh.” Noah turned back to the picture as James’s finger trailed down to the little girl. “Her name is Alyssa. She’s Marcus’ daughter… but I always thought of her as mine, too.” “Where…?” Noah began, not wanting to be too nosy. “Marcus died a few years ago in a car accident.” James stared sadly at the photo. “I had no legal rights to Alyssa… even though I helped to raise her and she even called me-“ James couldn’t bring himself to say the word. He cleared his throat and continued. “Anyway… after Marcus died her mother came and got her… and I haven’t seen her since.” James placed the photo back on the table. “I get pictures and cards, though,” he said, as if that made up for it. Staring at the faces of his lost family, James could feel Noah’s gaze upon him. For the moment, it was too much for him to bear and he quickly changed the subject. “So what would you like for dinner?” James walked into the kitchen and began to rummage through the pantry, nosing through various boxed items. “I can’t promise you that I’m much of a cook, but I haven’t killed myself yet, so that’s saying something.” Standing in front of the open pantry door, James paused as he felt a hand gently ease into his. Noah’s hand was small, soft, and warm. James shut his eyes against the sting of tears, finding it ironic that his own personal tragedy was all it took to get him to open up. He tightened his hold on Noah’s hand and gently caressed the boy’s wrist with his thumb. After a few minutes, James sniffed and cleared his throat. He stared down into Noah’s blue eyes with a grin. “Can you cook?” he asked. For the first time since James met him, Noah Warden smiled. It was a thing to behold. WOW! It's been FOREVER since I last update. School has been hectic and so have the holidays. I can't believe that I won Best Story CJ, on top of Best Added Graphics AND Best CJ Support this year! Thanks to all of you for voting! Without you guys, I wouldn't be here. Anyways, I figured I'd try and bring in the new year with even more CJ goodies for all of you! This time around I figured I start a new idea on the extra shots. This week is the weather them.... including a few shots from the new region I'm working on! Don't forget to click on each picture in the update to get a full resolution of each one. Jacob PS: Expect some nice eye popping disasters next update

Wow.... I got... THREE?! What can I say.... I couldn't have done it without all of you! I want to give out a special thanks to the admins.... without you guys.... I'd have nowhere worth posting my stuff... ummm all the people that proofread my stuff for me, without you guys, my story would stuck and make no sense... to all my readers, for voting, and proving that yes.... you really do like me. An EXTRA special thanks to Zelgadis. First off for letting me work my mojo on Carpathia 2 and Short Stories. Second of all, for all your insight on my story, letting me use you as my someone to bounce ideas off of and keep my story within reason, sanity, and the safe for work area. Congratuations to everyone else on all their Trixies! You guys deserve them all!!! Jacob (Now I get to watch the giant blizzard outside my window and think about the nice shoveling of snow I'll have to do in the morning to get to Christmas at my folks )

Well, figured I'd give everyone a little sneak peek at what's going on in the CJ.... Enjoy! Jacob

Here's a few pictures for motivation Ian. Now get back to work. Or the bunny gets it. Jacob

Wow, been a very long time since I've updated. I'm finally finished with finals (passed every class W00T!) and I am starting a rebuild of the city. I never liked how cramped I was making the old city before, so, time for a major, and I do mean MAJOR rebuild. The new region will be a whopping 9x10 large tile region. In the mean time while I get it built up to the point of being ready for pictures to be taken, I'll still be using the old region. Anyways, I hope to get another update out soon! Jacob

Wow..... surprising I've never stuck my head in here. Anyways..... I've been out of the proverbial closet for.... god.... years now. Been with my bf for 4 years. Still not out to all the family (I like getting nice present for Christmas darn it!) Back on subject though, I agree with Ded. Cargo pants are just.... no. And the whole beige thing... only on a need to wear out of necessity basis. Jacob

General Reaction After reading the entirety of Cities United by Evillions, I am left pondering how best to describe this mish-mash of different ideas and approaches. In the first couple of updates, we find what the name implies, a set of shots for different cities. However, this suddenly changes into a mini-story set at first in an Asian city, but then switches into an intergalactic manhunt. Afterwards, several different approaches are taken until finally, the CJ reverts back to its original purpose. I’ll start with what I didn’t like about this CJ. Although I wish I could say that I enjoyed reading the entire CJ, I can’t. If the author had stuck to the original intent of this CJ, I could say with certainty that with a little polish, this CJ could be an instant success and truly enjoyable experience. However, this is not what the author chose to do. Unfortunately, the mini-story the author chose to go with is, well, sub-par at best. The plot seems to jump from one plot to another, and simply lacks a linear path from event to event. Also, there seems to be a lack of true character dialogue. I don’t feel any attachment to the main characters, and feel that when they talk it’s forced, if even coherent. With a constant plot jump every couple of pages, I personally found it extremely difficult to make heads or tails what was going on. And unfortunately, where there was photo editing, I cringed. One such example of plot gone rampant: Wankao: Impressive! I must say, you are mentaly-challanged, (meaning that he's dumb in any way.) Steve: So diamond breaks diamond only. You'll be dead. Wankao: Mabey so.. Steve: Fire!!! (Launches bazzoka missle and actually hits the real Wankao.) Wankao: Cough* You might have killed me *Cough. But *Cough Cough* I'm in a suit. (Takes out the suit and shows his real self.) You might've beaten me. But I'm a termaitor. Destory ALL HUMANS! The same goes for, in my opinion, any of the Mars styled updates. There is apparently an alternate universe taking place, which unfortunately isn’t explained or even mention to the reader, further causing confusion in the constant state of chaos. What would I have personally liked to see in these two sections? Well, for starters, proof-reading. As a fellow story-based CJ writer, I can guarantee that proofreading and asking others to read your works before posting is essential. This is something that sadly was not seen, and I really wish I could have seen it. And also, don’t jump around so much! I feel like I’m watching a television stuck on channel flipping. On the later updates, stick to what your CJ implies. When I see a title like “Cities United,” I personally expect to see a plethora of different cities around the world. Not Mars. I’d you want to start a different idea, start a different CJ. Don’t get me wrong, I love sci-fi, but I feel it doesn’t have a place when mixed so confusingly with a realistic styled CJ. As for the photo editing, in many places, it truly wasn’t necessary. I love adding stuff to pictures…. I’m notorious for it… but for the safety of everyone’s eyes, don’t play with the saturation setting. It only worked on a couple of pictures I saw, and even then the pictures we’re great without the corrections. As for the ripple effect, don’t use it unless you know what you are doing. If you want a different water texture, go download one off the STEX. In fact, stay away from all the overpowering photoshopping. Subtle is the best way to do things, unless you need to make a huge statement. Those blurs and those lens flares really were distracting, and didn’t add much to the feel of the photo. Now, although I had a lot of things I felt were below standard in this CJ, there were really some great gems I found. The beginning and the last quarter of Volume 1 were outstanding. They stuck with the core fundamentals of the CJ, and really looked original and tasteful. If the entire CJ were this, I’d dare say you could be in my top 10 CJs. And that can be a tough bunch to fight with. The Breakdown Pros: This CJ has generally great night shots of and some even some excellent day shots on top of that. The different styles the author creates are realistic and pleasing to the eye. When the photo editing is subtle, the feel of each picture feel unique and eye-popping. What an amazing skyline! Cons: The story writing and its character dialogue/plot is very below par with some of the others on the site. Grammar checking and punctuation is severely needed. In most cases when Photoshopping exists, it is overly done and hurts the overall quality of the other pictures. Also, the sci-fi bits thrown in leave the reader confused. What am I even looking at!? Personal Reply to the Author Volume 1 needs some work. Stay away from the story-based CJ unless you are planning on getting some help on proof-reading. Also, I think you need to stay on topic. When you keep straying off onto a random tangent, it makes it very difficult to follow what is going on. As long as you don’t get away from the international city/country/style spotlights, you could really do great and get more comments and views.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.... school and whatnot. I'll be more than happy to review it, and I'll make sure to review only the first volume. Should have it ready sometime next week, possibly much sooner depending on my school and personal workload. Jacob

Evillions: Well, I think so.... not quite sure what you are asking though.... could you elaborate?

Hmmm.... well, the memo must have gotten lost in translation or something, but I am helping out here as well with the CJ Critics Thread. If you want you CJ reviewed by me, just drop me a PM and I'll give it a read and post. Just be forewarned I do give a very honest opinion! Jacob

Just figured I'd give a shout out to everyone.... I won't be updating this week. I actually do have the chapter ready, but I'm more than likely going to be updating over to Windows 7 this week, and a clean upgrade at that. So, I'm going to be working my rear off trying to get everything needed crossed over to the new OS. Jacob

How to Save a Life- The Fray James sat back down at his desk. Noah looked around uncomfortably, and he knew he would soon want to leave… which led him to the moment he had wanted to avoid most the entire afternoon. Grabbing a pen, he flipped over and frantically signed some forms that were lying on his desk. “Now, in regards to punishment,” James began evenly, not wanting even a hint of emotion to be reflected in his voice. “Please keep in mind that by all rights, I should expel you for what happened today." Noah nodded reluctantly, waiting for his sentence. “I’m giving you one week of out-of-school suspension,” James said, watching the boy carefully for any reaction. He hated that he had to punish him at all, let alone suspend him for three whole days. But since he had additionally placed the name callers into in-school suspension for two days, and Noah had actually done physical damage to school property, his punishment had to be steeper. James folded the forms and sealed them in an envelope. He slid the envelope across the desk to Noah, who looked questioningly at it. “They have to know?” he asked. His voice had taken on an edge of fear that caused James to take notice. He immediately realized that Noah’s problem wasn’t in the punishment itself, but in having his parents find out about it. After working with teenagers for years, James knew the drill. Noah would have gotten up every morning during his suspension, left his house for eight hours, and come home at the usual time, with his parents being none the wiser. It was precisely the reason he had been the one to initiate mutual communication for school suspensions, as opposed to the old form letters that mysteriously never made it to their parental destination. He had always considered it one of his better administrative decisions… … Until now. He was horrified to see the teenager’s trembling hand reach out to grab the envelope. Noah’s eyes had once again taken on that terrified glaze that he could hardly bear to look at. The envelope fluttered in the boy’s hand. He was trembling all over. What was going on in the boy’s home that caused him such fear? “I’m sorry,” Noah said again, standing to leave. “Wait!” James said, dropping his reserved façade. “I’ll take you home,” he announced suddenly, to even his own surprise. Noah looked suspiciously at the principal. “What? Why?” He racked his mind for a decent excuse. “Because… after everything that’s happened today, I just think it’s safer if you don’t walk home alone,” he said. “You don’t know if any of those boys might be waiting for you.” “I can take care of myself,” Noah insisted. “I’m not implying that you can’t. But I just think it’s best for today.” He could sense the boy’s mind turning, trying to figure him out…. “Okay,” Noah finally relented. James exhaled a sigh of relief, unaware he had even been holding his breath. “Go forward at the next light. It’ll be the second building on the left.” In order to prolong the car ride, James drove just under the speed limit- much to the displeasure of his car's engine. He had tried to engage the young man in conversation during the trip, but a deep and meaningful discussion was impossible where eye contact, even if it was only one-sided, could not be maintained. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Noah nervously picking at the envelope containing all the sordid details of his classroom outburst. James had worked with children and teenagers for a long time now; he knew all of the signs. However, there were procedures for these kinds of things. Things like legalities. He couldn’t just act on a premonition. No matter how overwhelming it was. Could he? James could not shake the growing, dreadful feeling that time was running out. As he approached the light, it turned red. He stopped and put on the right turn signal. Noah unbuckled his seatbelt and clutched the envelope in his trembling hand. He let out a long, shuddering sigh that hurt James’ heart. He shut his eyes against the sound and came to a decision. “God damn it,” he whispered. “Dr. Bassler?” Noah said. James opened his eyes just as the light turned green and the driver in the truck behind him honked his horn. He switched off the turn signal and turned right through the intersection. Noah gave James a cautious look. “You turned the wrong direction.” “It would appear so.” He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Why?” James took a deep breath. “Because… I don’t know if I could live with myself if anything happened to you over a stupid week long suspension.” He could feel the boy’s deep blue eyes crawling over him, questioning him, gauging him, wanting to trust, wanting to believe. “If you want me to take you home, say the word and I’ll turn around right now,” he concluded. He continued to drive, leaving Noah to make his decision. After a moment, he heard the sound of a fastening seatbelt. James smiled in relief. For that one moment, he thought he had never heard a more lovely sound. Well, that's it for this week folks! Been busy for the last couple of weeks (blame Zel and school) so the story has been lagging a bit on the update end. Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed the update and expect another soon / eventually / in this next century. Jacob

Gary Giles- Mad World Another round of thunder rattled the window as Noah laid in his bed, looking at the shadows of light flashing through his window, the lightning providing a momentary contrast in the still dark room. Looking over at his small alarm clock, he sighed. “Looks like I’ve woken up before the alarm. Again,” he said quietly to himself before reaching over to shut off the alarm. Pulling off the covers from on top of him, he slowly sat up in the bed, shivering slightly as the cool air in the room leached away his body heat and left his metal arm feeling like an ice cube against his side. Straining his ears, he was soon able to make out the sound two sets of snores through his bedroom wall, more muffled from the rain pattering on his bedroom window. With the relief spreading though him, he got up, and shuffled sorely into his bedroom to begin getting ready for the day. --- Finally satisfied he’d gotten all the water from his shower out of the joints and spaces in his arm and leg, he quickly got dressed, cringing as his right foot, yet again, shredded his sock as he pulled it. Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it, and pulled on his shoes and walked out of his room. Grabbing his backpack, he rushed out the door and into the hallway, fear tearing through him that he’d wake one of his two foster parents with his morning routine. “Crap!” he swore to himself, realizing that he had, yet again, forgotten his umbrella at home, leaving him yet again to be drenched by the time he made it to the train station. Running as fast as he could, he quickly made it to the old towering brick structure of the elevated train station, and grabbing his wallet, swiped his train pass through the turnstile, and shoved his way through the crowded stairway. Now able to rest, he looked around, watching the people, who like him, were waiting for the next train. That was, until his attention was quickly turned to the sound of something he’d heard every day at school. “Why look everyone, it’s the Tin Man!” the voice, coming from one Ashton Paul, called out behind him, followed by the idiotic laughter of teenage boys, “Where little Dorothy, Tinny?” Sighing, Noah continued to stare forward, quietly glad as the gleaming metal train screeched to a halt in front of him. “Awww, what’s the matter Tin Man,” Ashton continued, mocking sympathy filling its voice. “Did your jaw rust shut? You know, I’ve got just the thing to fix that!” another voice, most like one of his goons, from the small group yelled out over the mild roar of the station as people made their way on and off the train. Suddenly, Noah jumped as he felt something slam into his back. Jumping he turned around to see a bottle, quiet obviously from a trash can from the pieces of refuse stuck on its sides, laying on the ground behind him, it’s brand name laying face up towards him, reading in bold letters “Buy-n-Large Discount Motor Oil.” Rolling his eyes, he silently was glad that at least this time it was an empty bottle, and the cap was in fact securely on top of it. “Oops! Our bad! We thought you were the scrap heap,” Ashton’s voice, along with even more laughter, carried over the crowd, as Noah looked forward again and stepped on the train. Turning around, he watched in a resigned silence as the doors closed and the train left his classmates at the station. --- Waiting in the lunch line, Noah stuck his nose back in the history book he’d been reading as the line moved forward again. The morning itself had been uneventful; the pop quiz in AP Physics had been rather easy, Calculus was a repeat of the previous week, and his private studies hour was always the pinnacle of his day. Physical education, on the other hand, had been an utter nightmare. It wasn’t that Mr. Meredith was a bad teacher, but asking him to keep up with everyone while running was next to impossible when you had metal limbs. And the usual name calling in the locker room was something he’d come to expect. Looking up, he saw that it was his turn to grab his food. “Oh! Noah! What will it be honey?” the older woman asked, smiling at him. “Um…” he replied, looking over the different dishes, before finally deciding, “I think I’ll go with the chicken fingers, some mashed potatoes, peas, and… orange sherbet.” After the woman finished loading up his tray, he grabbed it and made his way to the register, and paying for his food, walked out into the bustling lunchroom. “Hey guys, look who it is!” a voice in front of him exclaimed, causing Noah to jerk his head up, to find Ashton smiling evilly at him. “Tin Man!” the group called out, in unison, as he walked past. Suddenly, Noah’s foot caught on something under him, sending him flying quickly at the floor, before slamming squarely on top of his tray. Groaning and picking himself, the sound of the entire school laugh at him filled his ears. Finally standing up, the roar of laughter got even louder. Confused, he looked down at the front of his body, his attention quickly drawn to his groin. Oh dear god, his mind screamed, his face turning a deep shade of red as he started to make his way out of the lunchroom, the front of his pants looking as though he had just had a very intimate moment with his mashed potatoes. “I bet I know where the Tin Wonder gets the gravy for his mashed potatoes!” he heard Ashton yell out between laughs as the metal doors slammed shut behind Noah. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These last two are to show you how far I am on building the city... Jacob

How to Save a Life- The Fray James sat back down at his desk. Noah looked around uncomfortably, and he knew he would soon want to leave… which led him to the moment he had wanted to avoid most the entire afternoon. Grabbing a pen, he flipped over and frantically signed some forms that were lying on his desk. “Now, in regards to punishment,” James began evenly, not wanting even a hint of emotion to be reflected in his voice. “Please keep in mind that by all rights, I should expel you for what happened today." Noah nodded reluctantly, waiting for his sentence. “I’m giving you one week of out-of-school suspension,” James said, watching the boy carefully for any reaction. He hated that he had to punish him at all, let alone suspend him for three whole days. But since he had additionally placed the name callers into in-school suspension for two days, and Noah had actually done physical damage to school property, his punishment had to be steeper. James folded the forms and sealed them in an envelope. He slid the envelope across the desk to Noah, who looked questioningly at it. “They have to know?” he asked. His voice had taken on an edge of fear that caused James to take notice. He immediately realized that Noah’s problem wasn’t in the punishment itself, but in having his parents find out about it. After working with teenagers for years, James knew the drill. Noah would have gotten up every morning during his suspension, left his house for eight hours, and come home at the usual time, with his parents being none the wiser. It was precisely the reason he had been the one to initiate mutual communication for school suspensions, as opposed to the old form letters that mysteriously never made it to their parental destination. He had always considered it one of his better administrative decisions… … Until now. He was horrified to see the teenager’s trembling hand reach out to grab the envelope. Noah’s eyes had once again taken on that terrified glaze that he could hardly bear to look at. The envelope fluttered in the boy’s hand. He was trembling all over. What was going on in the boy’s home that caused him such fear? “I’m sorry,” Noah said again, standing to leave. “Wait!” James said, dropping his reserved façade. “I’ll take you home,” he announced suddenly, to even his own surprise. Noah looked suspiciously at the principal. “What? Why?” He racked his mind for a decent excuse. “Because… after everything that’s happened today, I just think it’s safer if you don’t walk home alone,” he said. “You don’t know if any of those boys might be waiting for you.” “I can take care of myself,” Noah insisted. “I’m not implying that you can’t. But I just think it’s best for today.” He could sense the boy’s mind turning, trying to figure him out…. “Okay,” Noah finally relented. James exhaled a sigh of relief, unaware he had even been holding his breath. “Go forward at the next light. It’ll be the second building on the left.” In order to prolong the car ride, James drove just under the speed limit- much to the displeasure of his car's engine. He had tried to engage the young man in conversation during the trip, but a deep and meaningful discussion was impossible where eye contact, even if it was only one-sided, could not be maintained. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Noah nervously picking at the envelope containing all the sordid details of his classroom outburst. James had worked with children and teenagers for a long time now; he knew all of the signs. However, there were procedures for these kinds of things. Things like legalities. He couldn’t just act on a premonition. No matter how overwhelming it was. Could he? James could not shake the growing, dreadful feeling that time was running out. As he approached the light, it turned red. He stopped and put on the right turn signal. Noah unbuckled his seatbelt and clutched the envelope in his trembling hand. He let out a long, shuddering sigh that hurt James’ heart. He shut his eyes against the sound and came to a decision. “God damn it,” he whispered. “Dr. Bassler?” Noah said. James opened his eyes just as the light turned green and the driver in the truck behind him honked his horn. He switched off the turn signal and turned right through the intersection. Noah gave James a cautious look. “You turned the wrong direction.” “It would appear so.” He didn’t take his eyes off the road. “Why?” James took a deep breath. “Because… I don’t know if I could live with myself if anything happened to you over a stupid week long suspension.” He could feel the boy’s deep blue eyes crawling over him, questioning him, gauging him, wanting to trust, wanting to believe. “If you want me to take you home, say the word and I’ll turn around right now,” he concluded. He continued to drive, leaving Noah to make his decision. After a moment, he heard the sound of a fastening seatbelt. James smiled in relief. For that one moment, he thought he had never heard a more lovely sound. Well, that's it for this week folks! Been busy for the last couple of weeks (blame Zel and school) so the story has been lagging a bit on the update end. Anyways, hope everyone enjoyed the update and expect another soon / eventually / in this next century. Jacob >>

 I suppose its about time I replied to comments here.... SimHoTToDDY: Yes. Its now about the consistency of Jello pudding. Evillions: Honestly, I don't know whether you're being snarky in that comment or what. If you aren't, my apologies; but if you are, your somewhat rude comments are not really needed or necessary in my CJ. And no, I'm not talking about the airport comment in this case. Duke of York: Thanks! I try... I try.... (looking forward to reading more of yours!) Shingure: You'l just have to wait and see. It's going to be quite the tangled web.  Evillions (2): See above post yet again. PTrues6331: Thanks! abcvs: OMG! My first mini-mega-abcvs reply! Carly Simon- Your're So Vain Oh a song just for me?   Porter you shouldn't have.   Like the song says.... like the song says.... convincing the police officers called to the school by said students not to arrest Noah Typical, the bullies cry foul when the tables (or exploding desk in this case) are turned.  Pathetic. Isn't it though? He stared at the top of Noah's downturned head, and was promptly overcome with an urge to sweep his bangs out of his eyes.    James get a grip...   Principal.  School.  Student.  Remember. Yeah... I can promise that line is going to get really..... really.... REALLY blurry before the story is done. and wondering how it would feel between his fingers… James!   Principal. School. Student.  Remember. See? Blurry already! Or is that just my eyeglass Rx being wonky? “I’m sorry I made trouble for you,” Noah whispered softly. Ah just a little. No biggie, right? Instead, he said, “What’s done is done.” Erm.... OK...  I guess that works. It does. What's he going to do?  Jump into his time machine? (Note to self: Chapter 47 includes said time machine)   “You were there,” Noah replied, “You saw what happened.” Well duh.   Duh indeed. “I just… couldn’t… take it anymore.”  Indeed. I concur. “I said they’re not even tin.”  Well duh...     But he does have a point of course. WELL.... they do have a tiny bit of tin in them, but its mostly an alloy ofsurgical grade steel, some gold, aluminum, titanium, and trace amounts of other rare earth elements. “Well, Noah,” he began.  “Bullies aren’t usually known for their intelligence.” Crabbe and Goyle?   Always with the Harry Porter. I mean Potter. If he could just keep getting Noah to open up, inch by inch, then maybe- The door to the office burst open and slammed against the wall with a large bang, So much for that then... Yeah.... kinda hard to work with stalkers slamming your doors open, huh? “Mister Meredith,” James said, struggling to keep his voice calm for Noah’s sake.  “My door was closed for a reason.” Atta boy, Luther! I don't get it....  For that, James hated him.  As if he needed another reason.  Oh really?   What's that? Like I'd tell you....    at his employee, and former lover... “Liar,” James whispered. Ooooooooh...   I take it Meridith is 'The scorned'. No..... really???  “It’s not over, James,” he muttered to himself.  “Not until I say so.” Looks like James might have his own bully problem. Bully, no. Crazy psycho ex, yes.

So..... now that the current round of testing is done at school, I've had time to work on the map. Here's what I have so far: Hope you all like the new one. I took a lot out of Benedict's design and incorporated it to this one. Jacob