The Presence Of Being - a MrC CJ - The End

[jacqulina 162]

hi MRC wow i love the story,awesome water shots i just love the terrain with that water its so beautifull awesome work and pics

[MrCinatit 30]

That night, Garis was colder than he had ever felt before.

     When he went to the garden that morning, he found Bistrom beside himself. His friend was looking helplessly at the pumpkin sprouts, which were covered in a fine, white, cold powder that glistened in the rays of Sol as it peaked from behind a cloud.

     “Frost, Garis,” Bistrom said, almost sobbing. “Frost. I have never seen such a thing – the dew from last night froze, it was so cold.” He looked around and shivered. "It has grown so cold and so...drab."

     Garis shook his head. “This is not good,” he said quietly. He looked to the cliff. “Come with me,” he said, walking towards the cliffs. “Come.”

     Bistrom followed reluctantly. “It…it is forbidden.”

     “Our grandfathers did this all of the time, Bistrom,” Garis said. “You have stood on the edge, looking up, wanting to know what was up there.” He turned, his finger buried in his own chest. “I, I have been up there. Many times. Yes, many times. The view is magnificent – you can see the entire valley, and all that surrounds it. It is a wonderful view.”

     “I do not know,” Bistrom said. But, he still followed his friend.

     The ground was slick from the frost, but they were able to climb the cliff.

     Bistrom looked down on the city. “It is a magnificent view, my friend. You were right.” He shivered. “Cold, though. Very cold. The wind knows no barriers here.”

     Garis only nodded. He was looking away from town, towards the higher mesas.

     Bistrom’s mouth dropped open. “I never thought I would see the day…snow!”

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor
Sorry about the lack of updates lately - I have been working diligently on future updates (i have 10 others after this one already "in the can" - so hopefully there will not be any other delays for a while.

Livin in Sim - Oh, I know...I just need to consistently remind that smarty pants Mr. C. to shaddap - keeps him in line and makes sure that overblown ego does not take him into the stratosphere.
Unfortunately, Contact was Sagan's only non-fiction work - which is too bad, because I think it is a rather good book. Not that I don't enjoy his non-fiction, but it was nice to see him use his creativity, too.
Now that I look at the more recent updates, I have been noticing there have been fewer shots with trees with them - this was not on purpose, but it works. However, the brown box at the bottom of the last picture in this last updates does not quite add to the story. I really should edit that out, rather than point it out.

jacqulina - It does seem that shots with water look a lot better, don't they. Seems like no matter where my city tile is, I try to add some bit of water to it, whether it be a river, ocean, sea, lake, pond or stream. Of course, putting bits of water in the desert - not so easy.

Thanks for looking in, folks - it is very appreciated.

And as always, comments, critiques and questions are not only appreciated, but quite welcome and encouraged.

Take care.

[Shadow Assassin 336]

OMG, SNOW!

Let's go sledding!

[Voulpiotis 4]

Brilliant! I like the "green" city!

[defcon pilot 0]

Yay, a story journal. Not enough of those.

Looking good.

[crazyyaya 4]

interesting

i like the ground textures

Three posts edited into one. Mr. C.

[MrCinatit 30]

As Garis and Bistrom climbed down the cliffs, it seemed the snow followed them.

     When they reached the bottom, they found one of the law men waiting for them. “What you have done is forbidden,” the man said. Without another word, he took them into town and into one of the houses of the Elders.

     The other Elders appeared. “Too many have lost their lives climbing up and down the cliffs,” one of the Elders explained. “So, we have forbidden it’s climbing.”

     “I have done so many times, though – with never a fall,” Garis said.

     “If you admit to having done this many times, you are not helping your case,” The Elder said.

     It seemed they argued for hours, but to no avail. The minds of the Elders had already been made up.

     They lead Garis and Bistrom outside. A bell rung in the distance. People were already standing outside the house. The Mayor stood nearby.

     “Garis and Bistrom,” he said solemnly. “You have been found guilty of ascending and descending the forbidden cliffs – and have admitted doing so many times, where you have willfully broken one of the golden and original laws of The Elders for the soul reason of discovery. With this, we carry out the punishment of banishment from our valley forever. Have you any final words?”

     Bistrom blinked hard, fighting to keep the tears from falling from his eyes. “May The Stars have mercy on our souls,” he whispered.

     Garis only sighed. “I guess I always wanted to find out what was out there.”

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Geez! That was freaking depressing!

Alright...that was it. The End.

Kidding .

Seriously, the next updates get a little bit more update - and the colorful colors return, as well. These danker colors are even bringing me down!

Mr. Funny Bones - I am NOT getting on that slope on the right! That one will hurt!

Voulpiotis - So do I...we will be visiting it soon. And it will be green...not greyish.

defcon pilot - I agree - especially since I have seven of them under my belt lol

crazyyaya - Thanks very much...CycleDogg did some great work on those ground textures, this is for certain.

Thanks much for looking in, folks. It is appreciated.

And as always, comments, critiques and questions are not only appreciated, but quite welcome and encouraged.

Take care.

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, MrC,

it seemed the snow followed them.quote>

Was the game on Rhino speed?  Oops, I feel a bit of smartypants-ness creeping up again.  But you know how that is.

I suppose I should be saddened or at least sobered by the banishment, but I couldn't help thinking, "Yes!!"  The adventure begins.  Garis, with faithful Bistrom by his side, sets off to discover what is beyond the Valley, if Mary and the Old Man can be found, and what is causing the unusual weather.  I can't wait!

--Liv

[defcon pilot 0]

defcon pilot - I agree  - especially since I have seven of them under my belt lolquote>

Links! I demand links!!!

[ExiL3 10]

I like your world, do I sense some similarities with Lake Joi-Les? I am not sure...

Great stuff, you have really made the place look like some magical land, kind of reminds me of the Wizard of Oz... I can't seem to find the yellow brick road though.

take care,

[homeandaway 1]

I have missed some great storylines, pics, and update!, darn, and having looking at it all, i enjoyed it, it was like a film!.

Take care my good friend

~AleX~

[MrCinatit 30]

A soft breeze softly fluttered the colorful sails of the boat.

     Bistrom sat at the back of the boat, looking at the village as it faded from view.

     Garis looked forward, slowly steering as they slowly moved down river.

     “I miss our little town already,” Bistrom said.

     Garis nodded. “I miss Mary. I hope to find her someday. I miss The Old Man. I wish he were here with us right now.” He looked around. “Bistrom, is it my imagination, or has the color returned to our little world?”

     Bistrom looked around. “I believe you are right, Garis. Perhaps The Stars wanted us to leave, after all.” He looked backwards to the addition. “I wonder if our little village is brighter, as well.”

     Garis sighed. “I would not worry so much about our little village anymore, Bistrom. It is behind us, now. I sometimes feel...” He paused for a little bit. The only other sound was of the flapping sails and the waters lapping against the side of the boat. “I sometimes feel as though I was being held back in our little town.” He nodded forward. “There is a giant world out there, my friend. There must be a lot more out there, besides that little town. Besides, I must find Mary. I know she is out there somewhere.” He smiled slightly. “I feel so free right now,” he said quietly.

     Bistrom nodded slowly. “I guess so. I guess I am just afraid of what is out there. What of your dragon? What if it finds us?’

     Garis smiled. “I never said it was a dragon, my friend. Besides, I believe in dragons as much as I believe in the powers of The St…” His voice trailed off.

     His friend only nodded slowly. “Do you believe in the dangers of the river…because I believe we are almost upon them!” he said, pointing up the river.

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Ah - that is better...the color is back

Livin in Sim - no, the game wasn't at rhino speed - actually, the snow was a bit lonely - you know, it was a stranger in those parts, and didn't know anybody, and immediately latched onto the first poor, unsuspecting souls it found, kinda following them around and asking them if they wanted to do stuff like sled and iceskate and make snowmen, but they didn't want...

Wait...wrong journal.

And you are right, in all seriousness - now is the actual beginning of the journey.

Livin in Sim - well, there is some good news, and some bad news.

The good news is my first one - which totaled 6 responses - is no longer available. That is OK. It was brutal - and I am being kind. It got deleted with a recent post purge. Shed no tears for Keatling Hills.

The second journal was a teaser for The Universe According To Me. It simply showed various parts of the region as I built it for a future city journal. That journal was also deleted with the recent post purge. Again - shed no tears. It was nothing special.

My third is still available, in The Universe According To Me. Well...sort of. You see, there was a recent picture purge, as well, getting rid of old images hosted on Simtropolis. During the first part of the journal, I was pretty ignorant and hosted the pictures on site. So, now many of those are gone. I have promised myself I would someday repost the pictures - in fact, I have also made the same promise many ages ago to SuperChad, and have failed to live up to that promise. Of course, my pictures are a wreck and I have honestly no idea what would go where. There are, however, pictures available later on in the journal. This was also my first successful journal, and my first full blown story-based journal.

My fourth was one called TimeBomb. This was going to be a blow-off journal in between Universe and my next project. It was going to be nothing special - just a bunch of silliness. Yet, somehow, this one got me a Trixie. I am still convinced the administrators at the time had a) picked it by mistake b) walked into a wall and were delirious c) paid a lot of money by me. TimeBomb is in that famous land we call "Limbo", as I have entertained ideas of starting it up again, but have yet to do so.

My fifth was called Kiphten Bay. Or Kiphtin Bay. I have spelled it both ways quite frequently. It was simply a teaser for my next project:

Stranded, my sixth journal. Only read this one if you are in need of some sleep, because that journal will cure any sleep woes you have. It is a long journal. I don't mean The Godfather long. I mean 1968 uncut 500 minute long "when will this end!" Russian version of War And Peace long. It's brutal in some parts - helped not one bit by a tragedy near the end where I lost the region thanks to a very stupid act on my part.

ExiL3 - There are some similarities to Lake Joi-Les, but not a whole lot. A couple of yet-to-be-introduced characters appear in Lake Joi-Les...sort of. I'll explain that later. But, this is not a horror story like the other one - and the story telling is a lot more straight forward here (Lake Joi-Les used flashbacks. A lot.)

Thank you for the comment on the look of the land, too - that is actually something I have been striving for is a magical, unrealistic - yet sort of familiar look to it. As for the Yellow Brick Road, I think it is somewhere over there, by the third star on the right.

homeandaway - it is difficult to get all updates - believe me, I have missed many for my favorite journals. Of course, the five days I took off preparing for future updates did not help either lol

Thanks much for looking in, folks. It is appreciated.

And, as always, comments, critiques and questions are not only welcomed, but quite encouraged and very appreciated.

Take care.

[Nardo69 51]

The weather becoming colder is a nice metapher - I like it - the same goes for the snow following them to their last journey to the village.

That village's law really reminds me of RL - long ago like in the age of daVinci (no, I do not relate to the book nor did I read it) but also of today... ignorance never dies ...

I am lucky that that "this is the end" was just kidding.

And Stranded  was definately no sleeping pill - when I started reading it I couldn't stop until the last update available at that time ..

Take care!

Bernhard

[Simfan34 11]

where will they go next!

[homeandaway 1]

cooolio!, i wonder where they are going?, into the unknown, or to find another woman?. Mary the second! LOL!, anyway i love your strories my friend!, ...ah...!, that explains because you have a book! - understandable. And, following your reply to me, i have missed loads of updates aswell as i went to Toronto for 5 days, and oh boy - it was great!.

Hope you are well my good friend and take care and please PM if you need a chat or any help - im willing.

~Alex~

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, MrC,

the snow was a bit lonelyquote>

Awwh, the poor snow...      Just so it wasn't stalking them.  I hate it when snow is stalking you, sneaks up on you, and all of a sudden, boof, you are hit with a huge pile that slides off the roof when you slam the door.

Hey, I don't really mean to be so bold, but I can't get it to turn off after the quote.  Anyhoo, nice canyons.  Yes, I do see that one is narrowing, and we all know what that means...whitewater!!  Hang on!!

--Liv

[jacqulina 162]

hi MRC beautifull terraforming as allways,i love the story,wonderfull work and pics

[2ch.net simplayer 186]

Yeah, I am really worried about the rapids! Has anybody really survive there?? Because I was thinking, banishment from the valley is practically a death penalty :-S

[cowcorn 11]

Great updates. Great sceanery. I know my comment isn't original or critical at all but I just didn't know what to say. Anyway I keep enjoying what you're showing.

[SpecialEddie 3]

Black and white images? ...How?  *throws a snowball*

[MrCinatit 30]

     Garis pulled the boat near the shore.

     The sound of water meeting rock was almost deafening.

     They were close enough to feel the fine spray of water on their face.

     “It looks like it goes on forever,” Garis said.

     “How do we know it does not?” Bistrom said.

     Garis sighed. “I wish The Old Man were here.”

     “So do I,” Bistrom said quietly.

     The pair watched the water rush into the rocks.

     “How do we do this?” Bistrom finally asked.

     “Perhaps…right through the middle of the rapids,” Garis said. However, he knew he was not sure. “Perhaps the rocks are fewer there.”

     “And you will only take us to our deaths, my young friend,” a voice from behind.

     Garis and Bistrom turned. The Old Man stood at the opening that led below deck. Bistrom’s mouth dropped. Garis only smiled.

     “Nice to see you, Old Man. I had wondered where you had gone.”

     The Old Man smiled, walking slowly to the front of the ship. “I have been hiding down there for weeks. I…did not like the way things were going in the village. A tide was turning there, and I did not like it. I had a feeling someone would be forced to leave soon.” He cleared his throat. “I hope you will forgive me, but I had hopes it would be you, my young friend. So, I hid down there until the timing was right.” He grinned. “There is a lot of food and drink down there.” He nodded forward. “But first, those rapids.” He stared at them for a while, watching them. Then, he nodded. “I want you to take the boat to the slowest of possible speeds. Then I want you to follow my directions exactly.”

     Slowly, Garis moved the boat through the rapids.

     Water sprayed into the boat many times. Sometimes, they struck the side of a rock.

     Mostly, stayed near the canyon walls. The waters were smoother there.

     Sometimes, they came across the remains of a sailboat, one obviously from their little village. Silently, they would all look at it, hoping they would not suffer the same fate.

     They could hardly hear each other from the war of the waters. They could hardly see each other from the spray in their eyes.

     “Garis,” Bistrom yelled. “I am afraid.”

     “So am I,” Garis said quietly. “So am I.”

     The Old Man looked forward and smiled slightly. “Hold on, fellas…it gets a little rough here…”

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsors

Worst...

Rapids effects...

Ever...

There. It had to be said. I said it

Nardo69 - Nice catch on the symbolism - notice how they didn't really talk to anybody near the end? That comfy little village was certainly becoming colder and colder in more ways than one...I wonder how it will get by without our two heroes?

Simfan34 - I have a feeling it will be a little coastal village - in case anyone is wondering, I do have their entire path laid out in my mind.

homeandaway - We went to Toronto many, many, many years ago, Alex - about 1983, I believe. I enjoyed it a lot - a very friendly, beautiful city. It just seemed very clean. I hope to go back some day.

homeandaway - what is worse is when snow starts stalking you in the summertime. There you are, dressed to be cool and everything, when WHAM...snow. And no matter how hard I try, I cannot get the stuff out of my freezer.

Don't worry about the bold, Liv...you notice all of my replies are in bold. This is simply because I cut and paste the username (less misspellings this way).  But, I cannot figure out how to get the bold out after doing so. Oh well.

I wish I could have afforded some whitewater special effects, but most of my F/X crew left to work on Steven Speilberg's Interstellar.

jacqulina - Thanks very much, Jackie...it is appreciated.

2ch.net simplayer - You are right...having to go through those rapids does look like a death sentence. And I am not too sure about the fate of our three heroes....

cowcorn - that is quite all right...a lot of my responses are not original at all (That is what I get for updating, watching a movie, and listening to music at the same time. *turns up The White Stripes*

SpecialEddie - well, I got the images by...HEY! That snowball had pebbles in it!

*Looks around for something to throw back* Teacup. Water bottle. Nope. Nope. Five remotes...five remotes? Wait...I have a remote for my stereo. The stereo I threw out last summer. Huh.

Anyway, thanks much for looking in, folks. It is appreciated.

And, as always, comments, critiques and questions are not only appreciated, but quite welcome and encouraged.

Take care.

[homeandaway 1]

wooh!, coolio!, look at all those big boulders sticking out of the sea!. - so many!. - and thet storyline is cery well written sir!.

Take care and cya!

~Alex~

[Livin in Sim 83]

Hi, MrC,

The Old Man was there all the time!  He's bound to come in handy on the trip.  Your rapids aren't so bad--we get the idea.  Those Speilberg guys would come up with something so over the top that the little sailboat would never make it.  I was drooling over some ploppable rapids that Dedgren over at SC4D had shown.  Believe it or not, they were transparent base and could be plopped over the game water. 

Yeah, and what about when snow lurks about your summer campsite and covers your tent during the night?  That's got to be the ultimate in snow bad behavior!  You wake up and think you're in an igloo..."Hey, snow, what are you doing here?  I don't remember inviting you to spend the night."

Enjoying the journey.

--Liv

[Firebird 40]

Ahhhhh! 7 pages already! What happened here!

*Runs back to read all the updates he missed*

Nice! I KNEW this was going to happen! Life in that town was horrible for exploration and science! The story couldn't possibly go on living in that town.

I'm glad the introductions are over and the real story is about to begin! I cant wait.

And, btw, you've inspired me to write my own book. Here is rather fuzzy proof. (stupid cellphone camera   ) There are about 8 notebook pages written so far besides that one. 

[patriots_1228 51]

wow awesome story and nice colorful pics.

[Livin in Sim 83]

Elvis has left the building??? 

[hamsterTK 93]

wow, the story has really progressed. I missed a lot

its getting interesting now, I can only imagine whats beyond the narrow part of the river

anyways, glad they are out of that dump

[jacqulina 162]

hi MRC, again the magic of the water turns your pics into beauty,i know what you mean about the desert but a little oasis would really look beautifull,and i think you would pull it off well,awesome update and beautifull work i love your terraforming

[homeandaway 1]

cant wait to see more of your great work my friend

take care and be safe

~alex~

[asturianu 4]

OMG!!!!!! How can I miss so many udates? I love the mountains and cliffs and the river! Those last rapids catched me and I am guessing you made them after founding the city with the small god mode! Very nice, mate! I am impressed as always! This mystic CJ never stops amazing me!

Cristian