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-Note to self- I really really really need to poke my head in here a lot more, so I can drool over the pretty pictures.... Seriously, you have some of the most picturesque views I've ever seen. And I tend to sneak around a LOT!!! I can't wait until you post again, and this CJ is definitely is on my list of "Just Bookmark It Already Dummy!!!!" Jacob

Posted this one a couple of days ago. Really dreading the update I have planned when I have an entire fleet of these things to Photoshop out... But hey.... it will be very very pretty. May even have another advertisement!

Don't know if I ever posted this one on this topic, so here it is! Going to have to redo it though... I've expanded it and changed the terrain layout and stuff. Jacob

Well, I've neglected to post the last two projects I've done.... Shame on me. Bad Jacob....... bad..... Anyways... for stoney525: and for thepokemaniac:

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

Wow.I've been really really horrible about posting updates lately (I blame the busy lifestyle of a college student). I've actually had up to chapter 6 written and sitting in my computer, so fortunately its not an issues of writer's block, just god-awful-busy-artist's schedule. That and getting a new car. Yep, I got a new car. Or, well, new to me. As for here, I've decided to post each mega reply/ what's happening not only here, but at the beginning of the CJ as well. Also, I'm going to make a table of contents (when I get more time). Here's a picture of my new baby, a 2005 Kia Spectra5: Anyways, off to the replies: blondetwiggy: Yeah, pretty wild, huh? ANd yeah, was kinda half awake when I typed about teh wetness. zelgadis: And yet you constantly make fun of me for my FMA obsession.... KH freak.... Schulmanator: Thanks! abcvs: Yeah, not going to do the mega replies yet (afraid I might make the new reader's head explode already ) so we'll condense this down shall we.... He is sad, and it is sad music. Nope, home is not a safe place, but you knew this already, and yes, damned if he does, damned if he doesn't. And, erm, no, not satisfactory at all is it. I'm rather mean to my main characters, aren't I? Wow.... that went rather well! Raysfan16: It's not bad, but be warned I went off the deep end rather early on that one. So don't be surprised if it gets really confusing. mayorron: -smacks over head with rolled up newspaper- Read it! I'm not just a bunch of pretty pictures. jacqulina: Yay! One of my favorite persons here to comment! Yay! ky72x: You always seem to really notice the tiny touches I do, huh? And yes, rather depressing, but then, it wouldn't be one of my stories if it wants depressing or action packed, huh? Hawkeye9: Waaaaaah! You just.... -sniffle- like me for -sniffle- my eyecandy!!! ... Thanks for reading as well though. chptrk: Well, honestly, it happens a lot in real life too, so yeah.... BlondeTwiggy: Better grab your box of tissues then, you're about to be on a crying binge. But yeah, his life does get better. Honest! Evillions: Oh, you didn't get the memo. We aren't a fast food place anymore. We're now a payday loan place. That other place moved down the street.... OK! Now we've finished that I've got to finish up with a sneak preview and a video fun time clip. Hmmmm.... how best to make people drool, without giving away the entire picture.... hmmmmm..... AH! I got it! Oh, ain't I a stinker? Looks like you'll just have to live with that until I post the update later tonight. Well, I'll leave you all with a fun video clip of babies getting their funk on! Jacob

Posting the same thing twice is kinda frowned upon. Also, then getting an attitude when someone doesn't reply to your comment immediately is just down right rude. The GLR is a part of the NAM download. Since you haven't posted any information about what you've done already, I'm going to start with telling you to try downloading the NAM, here. Jacob

At this point in time, I'm ending TImbervale. I will not be restarting it again, nor will I be making a sidestory from it. Because..... Um... Well.... You see... I'm starting a new one. Link is here- https://www.simtropolis.com/cityjournals/?p=toc&id=689 Jacob

To Build a Home- The Cinematic Orchestra ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold and rainy weather officially sucked, Noah Warden decided, shivering as he climbed the last flight of stairs to his foster parents’ apartment, leaving a small trail of water droplets behind him. “Why can’t they just fix the elevators already? It’s been 2 months now since they broke down!” he said out loud to himself, gripping the rail softly with his metal hand, letting out another involuntary groan as his corresponding metal leg creaked, sending another dull throb up his thigh, and took another step, much to the chagrin of the seventeen year old. As he continued his climb up the slightly rotted stairs of the aging building, worry and fear began their usual build up in the pit of his stomach. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed so late at the school, but it was just that it was always better than the prospect of being at home. Really, he admitted to himself, anything was better than being in this place. Even if everyone at school though he was a freak, it was at least somewhere he could be happy for a few short moments in the day. Walking down the quiet, dimly lit hallway, he slowed his pace and tried to fight back the shiver of dread creeping up his spine, and swallow back the bile rising in his stomach. Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, he shifted the weight of his backpack as he tried to quietly unlock the door and make his way into the apartment. Finally hearing the lock click softly, he slowly took out his key, and opened the door slowly. Stepping in, he softly set his bag on the kitchen floor, and turned to close the door. “So where the hell were you at this time you little RUNT!?” a voice, unmistakably the one of his constantly drunken foster mother, yelled out from the corner of the dark kitchen. Cringing, he finished closing the door, swallowing the lump in his throat in time with the clicking of the latch. “Well, I haven’t got all day to listen to your sniveling lies you little brat,” she called out impatiently. “I…. I’m… I’m sorry. I just had a really big project to finish researching at school. I tried to call you but…” he stammered, slowly being able to make out the large, nearly empty bottle in her hand in the darkness. “Bulls**t you tried to call!” she yelled at him, slamming the bottle on the counter and walking up to him, her fist clenched. Wincing, he prepared himself for the punch in his stomach that always knocked the breath out of him and sent him curled up on the ground. As he slowly forced his body to relearn how to breathe, he looked up through the pain filled tears in his eyes to see her walking back to the counter and grabbing the bottle. “Let that be a lesson, you stupid little punk. And Dom wants to see you in the living room. Tell him I need more vodka,” she spat out at him, turning to walk back to her bedroom. “I will, Lorene... Have a good night,” he mumbled, slowly picking himself back up as he fought the wave of pain spreading throughout his abdomen. Slowly shuffling across the small kitchen to the living room, his heart began to race as he saw the large, imposing husband of his foster mother sitting in front of the TV. “Umm…. Lorene said to,” Noah began, barely making eye contact with the man. Cutting him off, the man let out a loud grunt as a sickly smile spread across his face. “So, off with that little slut friend of yours?” he asked, licking his lips as he looked over the boy with a sickening hunger in his eyes. “N….n…..no. I was trying to finish some research for a school project. I…. I…. wanted to get it done so I could d-do some extra credit,” he whispered out loud, barely audible over the sounds of the TV. “Well, you never called, boy, so you know what that means,” the man said, still smiling as Noah flinched at the words. “I’ll be in after a while to give you your punishment.” Noah nodded as he fought to keep himself from vomiting, and made his way across the living room to the small room that he called his own. Closing the door behind him, he quickly made his way into his tiny bathroom and emptied the small amount of contents in his stomach. Finally finished dry heaving, he went to the sink and washed his face, looking at his reflection. Fighting back the tears as his mind took in the picture he saw of himself, he walked out of the room, shutting off the light, and switched into his pajamas. Lying down, he stared out into the darkness of his room, watching the small blinking lights of airplanes passing in the sky out his windows as he slowly let his mind wander, his mind quickly blocking out the sound of his door opening and the heavy breathing of his foster father in the door way. ------------------------------------------------- Extras:

Well, actually looks like I got some comments on this!!!! Time to reply!!! abcvs: That was corny beyond believe We'll forgive you though. We know you can't help it. Zelgadis: Uh..... huh.... well, you just missed him. 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

Oooh. Anime. This is starting to pick up my interest.... Again this chapter is a bit in the dry department, but for an update like this, it's only to be expected. Jacob  

  It's an interesting introduction if a bit dry.... But also very educational. Feels a bit like I'm reading my college history book. Maybe add some flavor later on?

To Build a Home- The Cinematic Orchestra ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cold and rainy weather officially sucked, Noah Warden decided, shivering as he climbed the last flight of stairs to his foster parents’ apartment, leaving a small trail of water droplets behind him. “Why can’t they just fix the elevators already? It’s been 2 months now since they broke down!” he said out loud to himself, gripping the rail softly with his metal hand, letting out another involuntary groan as his corresponding metal leg creaked, sending another dull throb up his thigh, and took another step, much to the chagrin of the seventeen year old. As he continued his climb up the slightly rotted stairs of the aging building, worry and fear began their usual build up in the pit of his stomach. He knew he shouldn’t have stayed so late at the school, but it was just that it was always better than the prospect of being at home. Really, he admitted to himself, anything was better than being in this place. Even if everyone at school though he was a freak, it was at least somewhere he could be happy for a few short moments in the day. Walking down the quiet, dimly lit hallway, he slowed his pace and tried to fight back the shiver of dread creeping up his spine, and swallow back the bile rising in his stomach. Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, he shifted the weight of his backpack as he tried to quietly unlock the door and make his way into the apartment. Finally hearing the lock click softly, he slowly took out his key, and opened the door slowly. Stepping in, he softly set his bag on the kitchen floor, and turned to close the door. “So where the hell were you at this time you little RUNT!?” a voice, unmistakably the one of his constantly drunken foster mother, yelled out from the corner of the dark kitchen. Cringing, he finished closing the door, swallowing the lump in his throat in time with the clicking of the latch. “Well, I haven’t got all day to listen to your sniveling lies you little brat,” she called out impatiently. “I…. I’m… I’m sorry. I just had a really big project to finish researching at school. I tried to call you but…” he stammered, slowly being able to make out the large, nearly empty bottle in her hand in the darkness. “Bulls**t you tried to call!” she yelled at him, slamming the bottle on the counter and walking up to him, her fist clenched. Wincing, he prepared himself for the punch in his stomach that always knocked the breath out of him and sent him curled up on the ground. As he slowly forced his body to relearn how to breathe, he looked up through the pain filled tears in his eyes to see her walking back to the counter and grabbing the bottle. “Let that be a lesson, you stupid little punk. And Dom wants to see you in the living room. Tell him I need more vodka,” she spat out at him, turning to walk back to her bedroom. “I will, Lorene... Have a good night,” he mumbled, slowly picking himself back up as he fought the wave of pain spreading throughout his abdomen. Slowly shuffling across the small kitchen to the living room, his heart began to race as he saw the large, imposing husband of his foster mother sitting in front of the TV. “Umm…. Lorene said to,” Noah began, barely making eye contact with the man. Cutting him off, the man let out a loud grunt as a sickly smile spread across his face. “So, off with that little slut friend of yours?” he asked, licking his lips as he looked over the boy with a sickening hunger in his eyes. “N….n…..no. I was trying to finish some research for a school project. I…. I…. wanted to get it done so I could d-do some extra credit,” he whispered out loud, barely audible over the sounds of the TV. “Well, you never called, boy, so you know what that means,” the man said, still smiling as Noah flinched at the words. “I’ll be in after a while to give you your punishment.” Noah nodded as he fought to keep himself from vomiting, and made his way across the living room to the small room that he called his own. Closing the door behind him, he quickly made his way into his tiny bathroom and emptied the small amount of contents in his stomach. Finally finished dry heaving, he went to the sink and washed his face, looking at his reflection. Fighting back the tears as his mind took in the picture his saw of himself, he walked out of the room, shutting off the light, and switched into his pajamas. Lying down, he stared out into the darkness of his room, watching the small blinking lights of airplanes passing in the sky out his windows as he slowly let his mind wander, his mind quickly blocking out the sound of his door opening and the heavy breathing of his foster father in the door way. ------------------------------------------------- Extras:

^^^ Watch out..... I updated the page.... ^^^

I updated it. Yay!!! 

NEWSBOX 1/11: Going to try ad get the voting open later today. Just lots of work involved getting it set up. Jacob Table of Contents- Story Arc: Nex quod Vita Chapter 1: Stay Awake Part 1: 09/07/2008 LINK Part 2: 10/06/2008 LINK Part 3: 10/20/2008 LINK Chapter 2: In the Blink of an Eye 10/25/2008 LINK Chapter 3: World Turning Upside Down 11/12/2008 LINK Chapter 4: no title announced yet TBA LINK N/A Side Story: Amestria Chapter 1, 2 & 3: On Hold 04/07/2008 LINK Author's Disclaimer, Rules, and General Rants 1) Yes, I'm going to have gay scenes, drugs, alcohol, prostitiution (nothing it too deep of detail) and all the evils of life you'd find in a normal city. If you don't like them, nobody is forcing you to read it. Simple as that. 2) Flaming. Why do people feel the need for this? Why? Do I make rude comments on your CJ/MD? I didn't think so. So show me the same respect. 3) I''m not paying for your therapist, nor am I paid to be yours. So if something upsets you, don't whine about it or your life on this space. That's what state-run mental health hotlines are for. (Yes.... I've really had people do this in the past.) 4) I'm open to constructive critism. I love it, I thrive off it. Tell me if you want to see something, or even if you just notice a mistake. 5) Don't advertise your stuff on my stuff. I don't do that to you. And if you do it to me (unless of course you have my permission to do so), for one, I'm blacklisting you, and two, I'm going to rant about it on your CJ/MD. On a side note, I will continue Amestria kind of as a side plot here in this CJ/MD. It's probably not going to be mentioned that much as Timbervale is my new pet project (and hopefully will be for a while).

BlondeTwiggy/ky72x: No.... it's new. And ..... OMG OMG OMG! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!! Seriously, I really have to say that Zel and abcvs really, truely went all out on it.

Name: Noah Warden Age: 17 Height: 5'2" Occupation: Student Background: Born without his right arm and left leg, Noah was left at a hospital, and thus put in the foster care system. Noah was adopted by Lorene and Dominique Warden, he's throughout his life has been battered and abused. Although he's a brilliant student, he often get made fun of and tormented about his autolimbs, as his prosthetic limbs are known to be called. (More to follow as the story progresses) Name: Dr. James Bassler Age: 32 Height: 6'1" Occupation: High School Principal Background: After getting a masters in psychology, with a minor in child education, he took a job as a high school principal at Riverside South High. A widow, he's now devoted himself fully to his job, until he stumbles upon Noah's dark secret at home and decides to risk everything bringing Noah out of his abusive home. (More to follow as the story progresses) Name: Lorene and Dominque Miller Age(s): 39 and 42 Height(s): 5'7" and 6'3" Occupations: Waitress and Air Conditioning Repairman Background: She's a mean drunk and he's a sicko. Nothing more needs to be said right now. (More to follow as the story progresses)

Character Profiles: Name: Noah Warden Age: 17 Height: 5'2" Occupation: Student Background: Born without his right arm and left leg, Noah was left at a hospital, and thus put in the foster care system. Noah was adopted by Lorene and Dominique Warden, he's throughout his life has been battered and abused. Although he's a brilliant student, he often get made fun of and tormented about his autolimbs, as his prosthetic limbs are known to be called. (More to follow as the story progresses) Name: Dr. James Bassler Age: 32 Height: 6'1" Occupation: High School Principal Background: After getting a masters in psychology, with a minor in child education, he took a job as a high school principal at Riverside South High. A widow, he's now devoted himself fully to his job, until he stumbles upon Noah's dark secret at home and decides to risk everything bringing Noah out of his abusive home. (More to follow as the story progresses) Name: Lorene and Dominque Miller Age(s): 39 and 42 Height(s): 5'7" and 6'3" Occupations: Waitress and Air Conditioning Repairman Background: She's a mean drunk and he's a sicko. Nothing more needs to be said right now. (More to follow as the story progresses)

At this point in time, I'm ending TImbervale. I will not be restarting it again, nor will I be making a sidestory from it. Because..... Um... Well.... You see... I'm starting a new one. Link is here- https://www.simtropolis.com/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=108487&enterthread=y Jacob

Everything.

Well, here's a couple of shots for the airline I have based in my CJ. And before anyone asks, its just a clever Photoshopping job. Jacob

Reply to Ny24: To make a request, you must follow the directions here and/or here. Jacob

Reply to kingdiz_55: Well like I said before (Wait.... after double checking I didn't.... my bad) I plan on eventually taking videos of some of the projects I get when they come in (only two so far as of writing this) and posting them into Youtube and maybe attaching them along with the finished product. My reasons for posting videos instead of a written tutorial are many, but let me boil it down to the simple version. Typing out a tutorial is, well, bloody tedious, and then has to be re-read and tested out on guinea pigs before the finished product can ever see the light of day. Whereas the video is nice, simple, one go, and you can literally see everything I do, so no need to ask, "Wha... who.... wait, how did that happen???" Right now, there is only one reason I can think of that I'm a little hesitant to post videos, or even just plain old tutorials, on here. And that reason is software. Not everyone has the same Photoshop. I personally have Photoshop CS4. Which does a lot more than CS3, CS2, 7, etc. Also, I have a feeling a lot of people are going to try and do the same thing with GIMP, or request specialized tutorials just for GIMP, which, sad to say, I'm not able to do for time and sanity reasons (who really wants to learn two programs when one would more than suffice?) So, hopefully I answered your question. I think. Looking back on the long essay I've just written, I think I may have rambled a bit... Jacob

Instead of complaining, have you tried PMing an admin or even a STEX moderator about this? Its not very hard to get ahold of them. Jacob