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@ Benedict: I have to say, you one-up'd me. I do love how you designed it, and I like how you brought it all together. I'm glad to see that I inspired you to play around with my map, and yes.... that red line is hell on earth, isn't it? I'd love to see what you'll come up with in the future! @ dragonsign: Wow. That thing is huge. Excellent work! @ davidaiow: Well, although I will agree that my map does have it's quirks, I think you need to realize that I spent about 1 hour on that, with no prior planning before doing it. Also, I was working in a 800x600 size canvas (Benedict's is bigger, thus crisper and prettier). Also, I said it was something I was playing with at the time and wasn''t actually finished. So to completely dismiss my work kinda seems a little unfair, don't you think? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anywho, still working on the new region (that actually the real transit map I made for my city I'm making) but with school, my Photoshop slave driver Zel, and life in general, I've been slow to make a new transit map.... This is all I have so far... Pretty and simple so far, huh? Expect more after I get done with my first major round of exams this week and have time to work on more. Jacob PS: Benedict, don't be surprise if I steal some ideas from your awesome stuff there....

OMG! I haven't updated in forever!!! (I blame the pictures over on Carpathia 2..... it's all their fault. Yup. Alllllll their fault...) I do actually have an update in the pipeline and plan on trying to possible update in the next couple days (dare I say tomorrow to Thursday???). Anyways, I do have a teaser to show everyone. This car will be featured in the next update. Kudos and a special mention to anyone who guesses where I actually got it! Anyways.... on to the comments. jacqulina: Thanks! ironicepitome: Not hitting your refresh button enough? Anyways, thanks for the comment! Chptrk: Yep. Makes you wonder where the door locks are, huh? Archean: Oh, Zel had nothing to do with it. It actually plays a very important role in the plot! And it pleased the great bunny master.... bluemoose: He's decent. Just made a very stupid move at a horrible time in his life. But thats for a later update. panthersimcity4: LOL! I guess you have, huh? Thanks for the support buildsolid: Yeah.... except Zel has taken control with his whip and such.... But I have an update in the works. Finally. ecoba: Shame on you!!! Thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy the story as it continues! Well, on to working my mojo. Jacob

Carly Simon- Your're So Vain After two straight hours of soothing the jumbled nerves of a group of traumatized students, convincing the police officers called to the school by said students not to arrest Noah, and fielding the first of what would surely be countless phone calls from outraged parents screaming for the boy's head, James was finally able to escape into his office with fifteen minutes to spare before the end of the school day. He closed his eyes and sighed, letting his head clunk against the door behind him. He heard a faint shifting noise and opened his eyes, turning his attention towards the root of all the excitement of the past two hours. Noah sat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk, staring down at the ground. James felt guilty leaving him to sit for so long, but there was also no way in hell he intended to throw the boy to the wolves waiting to devour him. Nor was he going to let Noah go home without speaking to him first. He walked over to his desk and sat down in the plush, leather chair, resting his elbows on the desktop. 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 cleared his throat, pushing away the mental image of smoothing the boy's hair back and wondering how it would feel between his fingers… although the thought didn’t disappear completely. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was caught off guard by the teenager’s small, still voice. “I’m sorry I made trouble for you,” Noah whispered softly. He nervously picked at the sole of his shoe, refusing to meet James’ eyes. James titled his head slightly, looking at the top of the intriguing teen’s head. Here, in this day and age of school violence, he had just caused a state of panic among his classmates and yet he was apologizing for ruining the day. He couldn’t deny that it touched him and he pursed his lips to block the smile that had begun spread across his face. He wanted to tell Noah that he had absolutely no reason to apologize, that those bullies got exactly what they deserved, and that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Instead, he said, “What’s done is done.” What’s done is done? What the hell was that? James thought. He cleared his throat for a second time and started over. “So what happened?” Only then did Noah look up. James was again struck by the look in the boy’s sapphire-colored eyes, eyes that looked like they had seen more than any seventeen-year-old should ever have to see in such a short span of existence. “You were there,” Noah replied, “You saw what happened.” “And now I want you to tell me,” James responded. “In your own words.” “There’s nothing to tell,” Noah said, turning his gaze away from James and staring down at his leg. “I just…” “Just what?” he gently prodded him. “I just… couldn’t… take it anymore.” The young man began picking at his shoe again and mumbled something that James could not hear. “What did you say?” he asked. The blonde sighed. Even with his head down, James could see crinkles in his forehead and knew the boy was frowning, but he didn’t think it was directed at him. “I said they’re not even tin.” Even though Noah was too busy concentrating on his shoe to see his face, James covered his mouth with his hand to conceal a smirk. He had a strong suspicion that Noah Warden was completely oblivious to his own cleverness. “Well, Noah,” he began. “Bullies aren’t usually known for their intelligence.” The picking fingers paused. Noah slowly looked up and met the eyes of his principal. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. It was the closest thing to a smile that James had ever seen coming from the young man. He felt a cautious ray of hope. 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, causing both James and Noah to jump in their seats. James glared at the intruder, furious for the interruption, especially since he felt he was finally making a tentative connection with the troubled teenager. Eric Meredith, the school’s head physical education teacher, bounded into the office, followed immediately by James’s secretary, Ms. Blumm. “James!” Eric started. He glanced down at Noah, who had all but hunched over in his seat at the intrusion. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bassler, I strictly told him you were not to be disturbed!” Ms. Blumm exclaimed. She gave him a worried look but James found no fault with her; when Eric wanted his way, he kept going until he got it. It was a fact that he knew all too well. “Mister Meredith,” James said, struggling to keep his voice calm for Noah’s sake. “My door was closed for a reason.” Eric stood stubbornly in the office doorway, making absolutely no attempt to leave. James clenched his teeth and glanced at Noah, who sat quietly with his head down and his arms folded protectively across his stomach. He noticed again the lengths the young man took to conceal his prosthetic and felt a wave of protectiveness towards him. Just when he was positive that the kid would have opened his emotional window for him, even just a little bit, Eric’s uninvited outburst had effectively slammed it shut. For that, James hated him. As if he needed another reason. Turning his attention to his secretary, he smiled reassuringly. “Thank you, Katie,” he said. “I’ll take it from here.” Her eyes darted knowingly between the two men before she exited the office. In them, James could see the confirmation of her suspicions and he was perturbed with Eric all the more for his brazenly presumptuous attitude in such a public setting. “Noah, I’ll be right back,” he said softly. James stood up and walked around the desk. As he approached the doorway, he favored Eric with an ice cold glare before walking out into the hallway. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” James asked quietly. He stood in front of the closed door to his office and stared at his employee and former lover, careful to keep a considerable distance between them. “I heard that this kid went crazy and started attacking people, so I came to see if you were alright.” Eric smirked and leaned against the wall in a most unprofessionally casual way. “Liar,” James whispered. He glanced past Eric’s shoulder and saw Ms. Blumm watching them in awe. Upon being discovered, she quickly ducked her head back down and pretended to be fascinated with her computer monitor. James shook his head; this was the last thing he needed. “Listen to me, Eric, because I’m not going to tell you this again,” James began, his voice full of silent warning. “We are finished. Unless it is work related, you are not to talk to me. So stop finding every pathetic excuse you can think of to come to my office.” “Well aren’t you the big man in charge… at work, anyway.” Eric smirked again and at that moment James would have given just about anything for a metal limb of his own. “I’m not going to tell you again.” He gave the arrogant man a final, scathing glare before walking back into his office. Eric Meredith stared at the closed door as the final bell of the day rang and students began to pour into the hallways. “It’s not over, James,” he muttered to himself. “Not until I say so.” Well, again... sorry for lack of actual story pictures.... once again, I blame it on there being only so many shots you can take of a building... Jacob

-points at abcvs- Oh dear god.... we've released the reincarnation of Dr. Suess. He's never going stop on the Trixie stuff now..... Jacob

Carly Simon- You're So Vain After two straight hours of soothing the jumbled nerves of a group of traumatized students, convincing the police officers called to the school by said students not to arrest Noah, and fielding the first of what would surely be countless phone calls from outraged parents screaming for the boy's head, James was finally able to escape into his office with fifteen minutes to spare before the end of the school day. He closed his eyes and sighed, letting his head clunk against the door behind him. He heard a faint shifting noise and opened his eyes, turning his attention towards the root of all the excitement of the past two hours. Noah sat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk, staring down at the ground. James felt guilty leaving him to sit for so long, but there was also no way in hell he intended to throw the boy to the wolves waiting to devour him. Nor was he going to let Noah go home without speaking to him first. He walked over to his desk and sat down in the plush, leather chair, resting his elbows on the desktop. 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 cleared his throat, pushing away the mental image of smoothing the boy's hair back and wondering how it would feel between his fingers… although the thought didn’t disappear completely. As he opened his mouth to speak, he was caught off guard by the teenager’s small, still voice. “I’m sorry I made trouble for you,” Noah whispered softly. He nervously picked at the sole of his shoe, refusing to meet James’ eyes. James titled his head slightly, looking at the top of the intriguing teen’s head. Here, in this day and age of school violence, he had just caused a state of panic among his classmates and yet he was apologizing for ruining the day. He couldn’t deny that it touched him and he pursed his lips to block the smile that had begun spread across his face. He wanted to tell Noah that he had absolutely no reason to apologize, that those bullies got exactly what they deserved, and that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Instead, he said, “What’s done is done.” What’s done is done? What the hell was that? James thought. He cleared his throat for a second time and started over. “So what happened?” Only then did Noah look up. James was again struck by the look in the boy’s sapphire-colored eyes, eyes that looked like they had seen more than any seventeen-year-old should ever have to see in such a short span of existence. “You were there,” Noah replied, “You saw what happened.” “And now I want you to tell me,” James responded. “In your own words.” “There’s nothing to tell,” Noah said, turning his gaze away from James and staring down at his leg. “I just…” “Just what?” he gently prodded him. “I just… couldn’t… take it anymore.” The young man began picking at his shoe again and mumbled something that James could not hear. “What did you say?” he asked. The blonde sighed. Even with his head down, James could see crinkles in his forehead and knew the boy was frowning, but he didn’t think it was directed at him. “I said they’re not even tin.” Even though Noah was too busy concentrating on his shoe to see his face, James covered his mouth with his hand to conceal a smirk. He had a strong suspicion that Noah Warden was completely oblivious to his own cleverness. “Well, Noah,” he began. “Bullies aren’t usually known for their intelligence.” The picking fingers paused. Noah slowly looked up and met the eyes of his principal. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. It was the closest thing to a smile that James had ever seen coming from the young man. He felt a cautious ray of hope. 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, causing both James and Noah to jump in their seats. James glared at the intruder, furious for the interruption, especially since he felt he was finally making a tentative connection with the troubled teenager. Eric Meredith, the school’s head physical education teacher, bounded into the office, followed immediately by James’s secretary, Ms. Blumm. “James!” Eric started. He glanced down at Noah, who had all but hunched over in his seat at the intrusion. “I’m sorry, Mr. Bassler, I strictly told him you were not to be disturbed!” Ms. Blumm exclaimed. She gave him a worried look but James found no fault with her; when Eric wanted his way, he kept going until he got it. It was a fact that he knew all too well. “Mister Meredith,” James said, struggling to keep his voice calm for Noah’s sake. “My door was closed for a reason.” Eric stood stubbornly in the office doorway, making absolutely no attempt to leave. James clenched his teeth and glanced at Noah, who sat quietly with his head down and his arms folded protectively across his stomach. He noticed again the lengths the young man took to conceal his prosthetic and felt a wave of protectiveness towards him. Just when he was positive that the kid would have opened his emotional window for him, even just a little bit, Eric’s uninvited outburst had effectively slammed it shut. For that, James hated him. As if he needed another reason. Turning his attention to his secretary, he smiled reassuringly. “Thank you, Katie,” he said. “I’ll take it from here.” Her eyes darted knowingly between the two men before she exited the office. In them, James could see the confirmation of her suspicions and he was perturbed with Eric all the more for his brazenly presumptuous attitude in such a public setting. “Noah, I’ll be right back,” he said softly. James stood up and walked around the desk. As he approached the doorway, he favored Eric with an ice cold glare before walking out into the hallway. ------------------------------------------------------------------ “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” James asked quietly. He stood in front of the closed door to his office and stared at his employee and former lover, careful to keep a considerable distance between them. “I heard that this kid went crazy and started attacking people, so I came to see if you were alright.” Eric smirked and leaned against the wall in a most unprofessionally casual way. “Liar,” James whispered. He glanced past Eric’s shoulder and saw Ms. Blumm watching them in awe. Upon being discovered, she quickly ducked her head back down and pretended to be fascinated with her computer monitor. James shook his head; this was the last thing he needed. “Listen to me, Eric, because I’m not going to tell you this again,” James began, his voice full of silent warning. “We are finished. Unless it is work related, you are not to talk to me. So stop finding every pathetic excuse you can think of to come to my office.” “Well aren’t you the big man in charge… at work, anyway.” Eric smirked again and at that moment James would have given just about anything for a metal limb of his own. “I’m not going to tell you again.” He gave the arrogant man a final, scathing glare before walking back into his office. Eric Meredith stared at the closed door as the final bell of the day rang and students began to pour into the hallways. “It’s not over, James,” he muttered to himself. “Not until I say so.” Well, again... sorry for lack of actual story pictures.... once again, I blame it on there being only so many shots you can take of a building... Jacob

 Erm.... Evillions.... this is not a Maxis airport.... might want to take a closer look....

Replies: dabadon5- Thanks! TekindusT- Thanks! Shingure- Well, if you wanted, I could have delayed it more.  Fissue- Thanks to the you.... Yeah... however, he's in high school.... iGOd- Thanks! SimHoTToDDy- Yeah, yeah.....  But thanks for the compliment though!

 Interesting update so far. I do like the choice of song (anything with Lennon is a classic) However, I'm still waiting for an actual story to read.  Enough with the blurbs and gimme something to really read! Jacob

Been busy all evening trying to get he next update ready (yeah.... didn't happen) so I figured I'd make the replies and such now. News wise.... I have something sitting (for fun) on the back burner. Something that I'm rather good at (or so I've been told) and that will actually put a use to the old Timbervale thread (may just empty that thing out....). More on that next week.... Also, I finally found my way through the miles and miles (good lord you could wrap the world in it!) of red tape to finally get my numbers removed. Been trying to get that done since almost day 1, and it took..... good lord, 5 years?! And only required more requests than I can remember, more justification and begging, and countless emails/PMs/etc to FINALLY get it done. The DMV nor the US Passport departments have anything on a name change process here. Well, off to replies: bluemoose: Thanks! Zelgadis: Yeah and you..... hey.... wait. You know the plot already. So hush. You're going to give away the plot and stuff. But yes, an unadultered photo. Rare find coming from me, isnt it? I'm going to go with the excuse that you depleted all my photoshopping levels with your mammoth project of epic updates. All your fault. (Hehe.... so fun to blame you for everything ) BlondeTwiggy: Glad to be the highlight of your week! I plan on having an update soon! And let me say what an honor it is to be at the top of you list in your signature. Anyways, yeah, crazy how classrooms seem to be set up more and more like interegation rooms, isnt it? panthersimcity4: Yep.... thus would be the point of a story based CJ Seriously though, thank you for the compliment! astronelson: Maybe he will, maybe he won't. I'll never tell (well, until I post the actual update that is) chptrk: Yeah.... he did a bad thing, but he was provoked. Oh, and OMG CUTE!!!!! I see someone has a kittyEd for an avatar. You just earned major brownie points with me for that one! dfnva: Thanks! I try.... I try... ky72x: Nah.... he won't. I promise. Well, for at least the next couple of chapters. Yeah.... I think there is going to be rather an interesting result coming from this (I think..... dear god, I'm the author, I should KNOW what's going on in my own story!!! ) And yes, huge station. However, it's also a major subway station, and a huge art/science center (note the Bodies Revealed on display at it). Note to everyone: I'm typing this up at 3am my time, so if I misspelled or wrote something that's complete nonsense, well, tough cookies for you. Deal with it. OK...... on to the story stuff. I have a new character to introduce.... (this is becoming a weekly thing lately) As mentioned briefly in chapter 2, I give you... Eric Meredith. You're mean, stereotypical PE teacher who smokes like a chimney. Yeah, he's SUPPOSED to be in his 30s.... but seeing as 22 is the new 30 anymore in most anime/manga, yeah.... you're going to just have to imagine he's the age I say. Needless to say, you'll found out next chapter why he's such an important character in the story. Well, before I pass out at my computer desk, I'll leave you with another fun video. About a kid telling us about a man that was injured. Injured bad. Enjoy! Jacob

ford-prefect and bluemoose: It's all photoshop. And I do plan on making a tutorial thread eventually, just waiting until I can get my schedule straightened out.

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Good old KC... city of fountains (2nd only to Rome, Italy), center of the US, and no, we are NOT in Kansas people.... and also the cleanest water of the top 50 largest cities in the US. We also have 3 of the top 50 highest rated cities to live in, two of which are in the top 15. We have a regional population of about 2.1 million people. Also the hometown of Walt Disney. We EVEN got to be the hometown of 2008's American Idol, David Cook. Union Station look north to downtown.... Liberty Memorial J.C. Nichols Fountain (One of the most iconic places in the city) Sprint Center (Sprint's World HQ also happened to be in the KC metro, as well Garmin, H&R Block, Dean Machinery, Applebee's, Hallmark Cards, and AMC Theaters.... just to name a few) Kansas City International Airport Fountain show at Crown Center Nelson-Atkins Art Museum And last but not least, the soon to be complete KC Icon / Christopher S Bond Bridge.... Kauffman Center for Performing Arts... The On again, Off again KC Light Rail Project That's all I have for now. We have even more stuff, but, well, don't want to overload the thread! Jacob

Pieces of the People We Love- The Rapture ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. James Bassler, Principal Bassler as the students called him, walked through the empty classroom and crept into the small, adjoining office. There were ten minutes left in the lunch hour, but he wanted to position himself before the students started to arrive. Without turning on the light, he shut the door until it was just barely open. The room had a large, two-way mirror, as did each classroom in the building- something he still thought was a bit peculiar. He leaned against the desk and looked out into the classroom, feeling very much the peeping tom. Unless one of the students came barging into the office, they would not be aware of his presence for the entire duration of the class period, which was his preference. He wanted the students to act as they normally would whenever he observed the teachers for evaluations. The door to the classroom opened and James, assuming it was Mr. Stalwart, popped his head out of the office door to announce his presence. But instead of the teacher's somewhat childlike and bespectacled gaze, he was met with the cold blue glare of the newest senior class arrival, Noah Warden. At first, James was taken aback by the glare, but he quickly realized that it was not a glare intended for him. Considering the boy had just returned from lunch, the daily social event of every high school in the world, James could only imagine the kind of taunting he must have endured not only today, but every day. And must been quite bad on today, for, unless he was mistaken, there white flakey residue on the front of the boy’s pants. It was well known among the staff that the young man, while showing amazing brilliance in his studies, was a social pariah among his classmates. The cruelness of teenagers being what it was, there were a number of reasons for Noah's unpopularity: he was a bit short in stature, barely rivaling the shortest of the girls in the school, and his voice was somewhat high pitched, further adding to his frequent comparisons to the female form. But what the students ridiculed him about most, which infuriated James to an astonishing degree, was the teen’s... disability. James sincerely hated to use the word, even though that was how every other so-called expert chose to define it. Noah's right arm and left leg were gone, replaced by auto limbs. James had never seen anything like it before. Through conversations with the boy's teachers, he had come to learn that the students nastily referred to him as "Tin Man," and he would happily and permanently suspend any student that he ever discovered calling him that. James furrowed his eyebrows at the strange sense of fierce over protectiveness that overcame him. He shook off the feeling and returned his attention to the matter at hand. "Hello, Noah," he said, managing to keep an authoritative tone in spite of how he must have looked, poking his head out of an empty, darkened room. "Hi," the boy said quietly. Realizing that James was not a fellow student waiting to verbally attack him, he softened his glare but James could still see that he was very emotionally defensive, and in his opinion, rightfully so. "I'm going to be doing an evaluation of Mr. Stalwart," he explained. "Okay, Dr. Bassler," the blonde replied, with a slight shrug. James stared at him for another moment, taking in the sight of his hair, eyes, tattered jeans, and dingy grey hooded coat. He regarded the young man with a small, curt smile and a nod before returning to the darkness of the office. A bell sounded, signaling the end of the lunch period. Noah took a seat at his desk and folded his arms on the desktop, taking extra care, James noticed, to conceal his auto limb arm with his real one. He felt a stab in his heart and turned away from the two-way mirror, once again vowing to rain down serious world-renowned Principal Bassler vengeance on any student he caught teasing him. He then mentally reassured himself that he would do the same for any student, any student at all. It wasn't as if Noah Warden was any exception... ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, couldn’t everyone please quiet down a bit?" Ryan Stalwart- who was decidedly much less butch than the sound of his name, James concluded, was frantically trying to gain control of his classroom, with little success. He thought briefly about intervening, but decided against it. If he did, Mr. Stalwart would be useless as a teacher in his school from that point forward. Any teacher who needed to rely on the principal to come to their rescue quickly gained a negative reputation and lost respect among the entire student body. So while Ryan continued trying to take the reins of his classroom, and came progressively closer to forfeiting his pay increase, James found his attention wandering once again to Noah. The boy had sat studiously the entire period, reading his textbook and listening to the teacher as much as was possible through all of the noise. A group of particularly annoying wannabe thugs, led by one Ashton Paul if memory served him correctly, were talking amongst themselves and sneaking glances in Noah's direction. After years of experience, James did not like where this was going. He didn't like it at all. Get a handle on this, Stalwart, he thought. But the bumbling man had given up trying to quiet the dissenters and instead concentrated on instructing the few studious pupils who cared to listen to him. “Amazing strategy,” James muttered under his breath. "Hey Tin Man! Where's Dorothy?" one of the would-be hooligans called out, prompting many of the students to snicker. Noah instinctively drew his metal arm closer to his body and stared down at his desk. James felt a tightening in his chest as the first stirrings of anger began to rise within him. No student should be subjected to that kind of insensitive banter. Especially one with what was considered to be a handicap. Cries of "Tin Man!" began to rise from the group of bullies who would soon be having an up close and personal meeting with Principal Bassler. Some of the students began to join in, while a few others had the common decency to look shocked and horrified by what was taking place. STALWART, if you don't put a stop to this, so help me... The cries continued. James's dark eyes made a mental calculation of the name of every single student participating in the debacle. He stepped away from the desk and was about to walk into the classroom, without the least bit of sympathy or concern for the teacher's future effectiveness in the classroom. Or his future employment, for that matter... Then everything went silent. He glanced back through the mirror and was unsure if he should be relieved or nervous about what he was seeing. Noah was now standing by his desk. He couldn't see his face, but he recognized the heaving of the boy's shoulders for what it was… Rage. "Sit down or walk away, Noah," James whispered, mentally pleading with the boy. However, Noah did neither. He began to walk in the direction of the offending bullies, who were grinning cheerfully at their accomplishment. Everyone in the classroom, including the useless, soon-to-be unemployed teacher, watched him with silent interest. Through the mirror, James could see the intent in the teen’s eyes and immediately burst out of the office to stop him. He curled his auto limb hand into a fist… "Noah!" James yelled. …and brought it down onto the desk of the lead antagonist, completely obliterating it. Shards of the wooden desktop flew into the air and the desk's frame crumbled into a twisted metal mass, effectively trapping the now terrified bully inside of it. Cries of shocked surprise rang out in the classroom. A few students ran out of the room in fear. Ryan Stalwart looked as if he might faint. Noah grabbed the blubbering teenager by the collar with his real hand and presented him with his metal fist. His friends made a move to stop him but immediately backed away when they saw the very real threat that lurked in the blonde's cold blue eyes. "Do you want to see what else this 'Tin Man' can do?" he sneered at the bully, who worked his mouth wordlessly in fear. "Noah," James said softly. He stood behind the enraged teen and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, wondering what on earth he would do if he tried to hit him with that massive metal weapon. However, he needed not to have worried. At the sound of his voice, Noah immediately let go of the kid and turned around, giving him such a look of tormented agony that James thought his heart would break. There was something else present in those pained blue eyes, something stemming from more than just the adolescent taunting. James had an almost insurmountable urge to take the boy in his arms, right then and there, and he actually caught himself moving slightly forward to do that very thing. It was only with a tremendous force of will that he stopped himself from reaching out to Noah, firmly reminding himself that he was the principal of this school and he had a job to do. Every eye in the classroom was now on him and, first and foremost, order needed to be restored. "Noah," he said again, this time a bit more firmly. "Report to my office… Right now." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Was a bit light on all the normal shots (kinda hard to get a lot of different shots of the same school ya know) so I threw in some more random pictures. Enjoy! Jacob

Pieces of the People We Love- The Rapture ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. James Bassler, Principal Bassler as the students called him, walked through the empty classroom and crept into the small, adjoining office. There were ten minutes left in the lunch hour, but he wanted to position himself before the students started to arrive. Without turning on the light, he shut the door until it was just barely open. The room had a large, two-way mirror, as did each classroom in the building- something he still thought was a bit peculiar. He leaned against the desk and looked out into the classroom, feeling very much the peeping tom. Unless one of the students came barging into the office, they would not be aware of his presence for the entire duration of the class period, which was his preference. He wanted the students to act as they normally would whenever he observed the teachers for evaluations. The door to the classroom opened and James, assuming it was Mr. Stalwart, popped his head out of the office door to announce his presence. But instead of the teacher's somewhat childlike and bespectacled gaze, he was met with the cold blue glare of the newest senior class arrival, Noah Warden. At first, James was taken aback by the glare, but he quickly realized that it was not a glare intended for him. Considering the boy had just returned from lunch, the daily social event of every high school in the world, James could only imagine the kind of taunting he must have endured not only today, but every day. And must been quite bad on today, for, unless he was mistaken, there white flakey residue on the front of the boy’s pants. It was well known among the staff that the young man, while showing amazing brilliance in his studies, was a social pariah among his classmates. The cruelness of teenagers being what it was, there were a number of reasons for Noah's unpopularity: he was a bit short in stature, barely rivaling the shortest of the girls in the school, and his voice was somewhat high pitched, further adding to his frequent comparisons to the female form. But what the students ridiculed him about most, which infuriated James to an astonishing degree, was the teen’s... disability. James sincerely hated to use the word, even though that was how every other so-called expert chose to define it. Noah's right arm and left leg were gone, replaced by auto limbs. James had never seen anything like it before. Through conversations with the boy's teachers, he had come to learn that the students nastily referred to him as "Tin Man," and he would happily and permanently suspend any student that he ever discovered calling him that. James furrowed his eyebrows at the strange sense of fierce over protectiveness that overcame him. He shook off the feeling and returned his attention to the matter at hand. "Hello, Noah," he said, managing to keep an authoritative tone in spite of how he must have looked, poking his head out of an empty, darkened room. "Hi," the boy said quietly. Realizing that James was not a fellow student waiting to verbally attack him, he softened his glare but James could still see that he was very emotionally defensive, and in his opinion, rightfully so. "I'm going to be doing an evaluation of Mr. Stalwart," he explained. "Okay, Dr. Bassler," the blonde replied, with a slight shrug. James stared at him for another moment, taking in the sight of his hair, eyes, tattered jeans, and dingy grey hooded coat. He regarded the young man with a small, curt smile and a nod before returning to the darkness of the office. A bell sounded, signaling the end of the lunch period. Noah took a seat at his desk and folded his arms on the desktop, taking extra care, James noticed, to conceal his auto limb arm with his real one. He felt a stab in his heart and turned away from the two-way mirror, once again vowing to rain down serious world-renowned Principal Bassler vengeance on any student he caught teasing him. He then mentally reassured himself that he would do the same for any student, any student at all. It wasn't as if Noah Warden was any exception... ---------------------------------------------------------------- "Oh, couldn’t everyone please quiet down a bit?" Ryan Stalwart- who was decidedly much less butch than the sound of his name, James concluded, was frantically trying to gain control of his classroom, with little success. He thought briefly about intervening, but decided against it. If he did, Mr. Stalwart would be useless as a teacher in his school from that point forward. Any teacher who needed to rely on the principal to come to their rescue quickly gained a negative reputation and lost respect among the entire student body. So while Ryan continued trying to take the reins of his classroom, and came progressively closer to forfeiting his pay increase, James found his attention wandering once again to Noah. The boy had sat studiously the entire period, reading his textbook and listening to the teacher as much as was possible through all of the noise. A group of particularly annoying wannabe thugs, led by one Ashton Paul if memory served him correctly, were talking amongst themselves and sneaking glances in Noah's direction. After years of experience, James did not like where this was going. He didn't like it at all. Get a handle on this, Stalwart, he thought. But the bumbling man had given up trying to quiet the dissenters and instead concentrated on instructing the few studious pupils who cared to listen to him. “Amazing strategy,” James muttered under his breath. "Hey Tin Man! Where's Dorothy?" one of the would-be hooligans called out, prompting many of the students to snicker. Noah instinctively drew his metal arm closer to his body and stared down at his desk. James felt a tightening in his chest as the first stirrings of anger began to rise within him. No student should be subjected to that kind of insensitive banter. Especially one with what was considered to be a handicap. Cries of "Tin Man!" began to rise from the group of bullies who would soon be having an up close and personal meeting with Principal Bassler. Some of the students began to join in, while a few others had the common decency to look shocked and horrified by what was taking place. STALWART, if you don't put a stop to this, so help me... The cries continued. James's dark eyes made a mental calculation of the name of every single student participating in the debacle. He stepped away from the desk and was about to walk into the classroom, without the least bit of sympathy or concern for the teacher's future effectiveness in the classroom. Or his future employment, for that matter... Then everything went silent. He glanced back through the mirror and was unsure if he should be relieved or nervous about what he was seeing. Noah was now standing by his desk. He couldn't see his face, but he recognized the heaving of the boy's shoulders for what it was… Rage. "Sit down or walk away, Noah," James whispered, mentally pleading with the boy. However, Noah did neither. He began to walk in the direction of the offending bullies, who were grinning cheerfully at their accomplishment. Everyone in the classroom, including the useless, soon-to-be unemployed teacher, watched him with silent interest. Through the mirror, James could see the intent in the teen’s eyes and immediately burst out of the office to stop him. He curled his auto limb hand into a fist… "Noah!" James yelled. …and brought it down onto the desk of the lead antagonist, completely obliterating it. Shards of the wooden desktop flew into the air and the desk's frame crumbled into a twisted metal mass, effectively trapping the now terrified bully inside of it. Cries of shocked surprise rang out in the classroom. A few students ran out of the room in fear. Ryan Stalwart looked as if he might faint. Noah grabbed the blubbering teenager by the collar with his real hand and presented him with his metal fist. His friends made a move to stop him but immediately backed away when they saw the very real threat that lurked in the blonde's cold blue eyes. "Do you want to see what else this 'Tin Man' can do?" he sneered at the bully, who worked his mouth wordlessly in fear. "Noah," James said softly. He stood behind the enraged teen and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, wondering what on earth he would do if he tried to hit him with that massive metal weapon. However, he needed not to have worried. At the sound of his voice, Noah immediately let go of the kid and turned around, giving him such a look of tormented agony that James thought his heart would break. There was something else present in those pained blue eyes, something stemming from more than just the adolescent taunting. James had an almost insurmountable urge to take the boy in his arms, right then and there, and he actually caught himself moving slightly forward to do that very thing. It was only with a tremendous force of will that he stopped himself from reaching out to Noah, firmly reminding himself that he was the principal of this school and he had a job to do. Every eye in the classroom was now on him and, first and foremost, order needed to be restored. "Noah," he said again, this time a bit more firmly. "Report to my office… Right now." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Was a bit light on all the normal shots (kinda hard to get a lot of different shots of the same school ya know) so I threw in some more random pictures. Enjoy! Jacob

Well, getting ready to post the update this evening (yes, by god, I'm updating finally!) and figured it was time for my little filler reply thing-a-ma-jigger. So, let's start with a bit of news. I started classes today. What a crazy fiasco. Also, got to see one of my two professors (which are the only ones I'll have for the next two years) go off totally on some kids out in the hall disturbing our class. It was fun! Also found out I get to go on some field trips this semester. Haven't gotten to do that in..... dear god I feel old in saying this..... 8 years. No pics allowed on these though.... HIPAA and what not. Ok, I'm rambling, anyways.... more news.... New character profile getting posted here, of one of the other main characters. In fact, this next chapter will be from his point of view... Introducing Dr. James Bassler! He's the princi........ wait a second! Why am I telling you everything about him here? You all will just have to read the update tonight. Well, other than that, just another tiny bit of news.... don't be surprised if I don't post the next week's update entirely on time. Kinda have a bit of a project I'm working with zelgadis on..... namely, doing his pictures.... and boy aren't they pweety! And now, to the replies (jeez.... this reply thing is getting rather long and I haven't even gotten done with this yet!) Raysfan16: Thanks, I was a bit light on the extra's this round of updates, so I figured I'd throw in those two WIPs and make a tiny downtown airport to boot. Also, planning on making a big airport for a later update (think International sized) jacqulina: Like I always say, nice to see you and thanks for the constant words of support buildsolid: Must be doing it right then! As for the real life, I'm juggling school, clinicals, personal life, and working on photos for another CJ run by an excellent writer here, so..... yeah.... updates tend to be a bit slow. But never fear, there are about 6 chapters written in advanced (some to the full degree) so it won't be for a case of writers black at least! DITRO: Well, most of the teachers like him, just happened to be the lunch lady who got the cameo this time. BlondeTwiggy: Took you long enough to find that I updated!!! To answer your last question.... the level of immaturity is endless... Hopefully the next update you'll be much happier with the cliffhanger. Wrightguy0: Yeah, mine wasn't this bad, but I do speak with some experience on a few of these things... bluemoose: Oh trust me, you won't need to. chrissc94: Eh, that or the fact he has a solid metal arm. That might help to. chptrk: LOL.... don't be going all emo on me.... Archean: Psssh 9mm? Have you ever gone to a inner-city school? Those things usually get confiscated at the door. SimHoTToDDy: Thank you! Yeah.... I try on my pictures..... astronelsom: Cunning? What's that? Is it like blood and gore? Victor Valdes: Thanks! Finally..... I'm finally through that! And last, a wonderful video for fun to entertain you all while i ready the update....

Replies- thepokemaniac : Thanks! CraigKingOfIreland: Thanks! Zelgadis: I know what you mean. And hush you. You already know like half the story as it is.  Shingure: Yeah, I hated school as well. For the exact same reason. Hopefully though you'll like where I take the story next chapter.

Hmm..... After reading your CJ so far, I'm actually finding it a bit interesting. And ask anyone on here, I'm not one to poke my head in and say anything on a whim. However, and I'm speaking from personal experience here, you might try drawing out your updates and story lines over a couple of updates and not just tiny snippets. There are some great story ideas lurking here, but when you finish them out in one small update, well.... just don't do that Looking forward to seeing where this goes! Jacob

Well, just got back from vacation and finished these up today! thepokemaniac: chptrk: