65 horsepower, that’s not bad. I’ve got a touch over 61. (And yes, that is with a turbocharger. That’s thanks to the engine being a pushrod block, because it’s a Bricksley. And it’s carburetted, because cheap crappy car.)
So, would anyone be upset if I did another “in the parking lot” post with several of the cars being mentioned? I’ve got a few ideas rolling around in my head, and a couple of them involve trading some alcohol for some beer with the Australians of Team Good Things @lotto77 and possibly with Team Hillbilly Rollers @Knugcab if they’re okay with the idea of 190-proof lemon-derived alcohol smuggled in a clean gas can.
However, I’ve mentioned several cars by number and placed them arbitrarily in groupings near one another, and because they haven’t been placed in the parking lot, so to speak, by their respective owners, I’m asking everyone if they’re okay with being loosely mentioned, even if it’s in number alone. I’m sure some cars were missed in my writing up of the idea that came to mind, but that’s more because I probably missed them than anything else.
Normally, I’d just post it and run with it, but as this involves other teams who haven’t yet arrived at the check in point, I’d rather not be a bad sport and move cars and, by extension, teams that don’t belong to me.
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Yes, I gladly participate if you (or anyone else) wants to run RP with me, that’s what’s most fun about challenges like this.
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Same, bouncing off each other is half the fun with this sort of thing.
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I’d be interested to RP with people tbh, fun to bounce off others for car parts and supplies etc.
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I had a turbo version of the same engine i was using before with 110HP
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That sounds like fun to me! My team, for the most part, was already written as pretty reclusive the day before, staying in their spot to keep guard of their van, in case ya’ll wanna visit and have super uncomfortable interactions. (:
Also, we we might want to coordinate what the environment in Frunia is like for consistency. I remember the developers saying Frunia is based on Spain/Italy, and so I treated it as Spain in my post, but does anyone have a different idea/preference?
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in my mind it’s a sort of conglomerate of western/mid europe (think spain, france, italy, portugal, etc) and the East Fruinia and Archana is east eurasia/russia
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also- would y’all mind if i submit a team? they wouldn’t win but they’d get into some shenanigans along the way
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I Don’t mind.
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If it can be done without taking away from the challenge-running itself, that sounds great! (:
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INTRODUCING: TEAM TURBOLAG
THE TEAM
Member 1:
Name: Mikel Eltern
Age: 26
Nationality: German
Profession: Carpenter/Freelance Chef
Team Designation: Driver/Cook
Hobbies: Cooking, making models, woodworking
Backstory: Mikel has always liked tinkering with model kits and old motorbike engines, and so when he was given the opportunity to modify a whole car to withstand the rough conditions of the 10,000 mile trek, he leapt at the opportunity. Outgoing and loud-spoken, Mikel is an empathetic man with natural leadership skills, making him a likeable and trustworthy friend. He is smart and resourceful, if sometimes lacking a little common sense. He is very quick to jump to decisions and may need assistance from his friends or his team to make him see that what he picked may not be the best option. Always an avid cook, he often participates in cooking competitions- but often to no avail, having made something so out of left field that people are afraid to try it, but if they do they will learn that it tastes amazing. Mikel seems to never have a plan, rushing into situations as they come and willing to face the consequences of his unpreparedness. Nonetheless however, he is always willing to help someone out, no matter who they may be.
Member 2:
Name: Martha Woodrow
Age: 23
Nationality: English, with Welsh heritage
Profession: Historian at a war museum
Team Designation: Navigator/Driver
Hobbies: Reading, writing, researching WW2, driving classic cars
Backstory: Martha met Mikel in university, and they quickly became close friends. Martha, being a relatively quiet, nerdy girl was backed up in her aspirations by Mikel, allowing her to persue her dream of being a military historian. However, Martha is very tempermental, and has an extremely short temper, leading her to get very angry at people and blow up in their face. Mikel usually deals with the aftermath. Martha is incredibly knowledgable in regards to engines and mechanical components, especially older ones, leading to her being easily able to repair just about anything with a set of tools. However, she gives up quite easily, needing encouragement from external sources to keep her going. Martha would most likely be found asleep in her seat or tent, after staying up all night trying to do something. As such, roughly 5 big tubs of coffee power can be found in the car’s container, all Martha will need to complete the journey. It was her who actually found the trip, and she thought that it would be fun to do with Mikel, giving the two something to do during their break from university.
THE CAR
Team Turbolag’s car (affectionately referred to as “Bugsy” by Martha) is a 1985 Seneca City Turbo II, brought for £10,000 on Ebay. Bugsy had the original engine in it, which was then tuned by Mikel to get more torque (it didn’t work) in the event they would have to go up a hill. They then spent £5000 on upgrades to the car, aswell as using some things they already had. The car was missing it’s radiator however, but Mikel had a smaller motorbike radiator that they could use to at least keep the engine relatively cool, and Martha put in a desk fan. Bugsy is still FWD however, meaning that it may struggle offroad or on loose surfaces.
Modifications done:
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Larger, all-terrain tires were fitted for better traction
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Foglights were fitted to the bonnet, a bullbar of sorts was attached to the front bumper and a towhook was welded on.
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A fan was bolted to the roof to allow for some ventilation in hot conditions
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Painted PVC pipe was mounted to the side of the engine bay to act as a snorkel
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A roofrack was fitted, allowing for more storage
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Two spare wheels, two jerry cans, a propane tank, an oil drum and a length of tubing was purchased
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Two toolboxes, one large and one small contain Mikel’s tools and utensils, both taken from his own garage.
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A small crate was made by Mikel, and Martha found an old chest for storing the tents
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A wooden palette was taken from Martha’s work. Just in case.
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There’s an orange thing on the side of the roofrack. Neither know what it does, but it looks useful.
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A net was hung from the roof of the car, allowing for the stowage of smaller items like cables or clothes.
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Mikel retrofitted the rear of the car, where the rear seats and boot would have been, to fit a small worktop, complete with shelving, electricity and a gas stove. (Mikel uses this as a mini kitchen)
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Underneath this there is an old water tank used for storing food and cooking items, a cleaned out fuel tank filled with water (with a cap so that it can be easily accessed inside the car) and a box containing sleeping bags and lanterns.
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finally, the suspension was raised and tuned slightly to allow for better ground clearance.
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Team Shift Happens
Team Information and Story Start
Marena, Fruinia, the race check-in area, 2 PM.
Kaylie and Kayden had mostly been out and about walking Spots, Malavera’s pet leopard, but as most of the cars were here now, the two of them had been studying the melange of shit-boxes that had shown up. The staging area was a sea of roof racks and colorful cars, and equally interesting teams. Kayden was now the one holding Spots’ leash after Kaylie had, twice, learned the hard way that she had a 20 pound weight disadvantage compared to Spots. Both times, Spots had lunged toward other teams in hopes of getting to the food he smelled, Kaylie had grabbed down hard on the leash with her mechanical left hand, and Kayden had grabbed his sister around the waist to prevent her from being dragged by the leaping leopard. After the second time, Kaylie had passed the leash to Kayden, who at least had the advantage in keeping the cat under control while they looked over the various cars.
“You know, Kaylie, even if this event goes sideways, it was worth it,” Kayden said.
“Come out to a new country, meet exciting new people, race in clapped-out crap-boxes, I’d say it’s a good way to un-shit one’s summer,” Kaylie replied. “Just remember, it’s your job if we find snow to keep Rukari out of it.”
“Ugh. I don’t see why we can’t make Malavera deal with that,” Kayden grumbled. “I hate the stuff, and I don’t know how Rukari can stand rolling around in it naked.”
“Because Malavera doesn’t have the patience. You and Rukari are in a very similar weight class, similar martial skill, if it comes to wrestling an angry Valraadi back into the car, you’re less likely to injure him,” Kaylie replied.
“Clearly you haven’t paid attention, then,” Kayden quipped. “He’s stronger than me despite being the same weight, there’s no way we’re the same in hand-to-hand combat because I lose every time we’re sparring, and keep in mind, Rukari is the one who let the jack down and set the Bricksley on his own damn foot without getting injured. I can’t do that without breaking my foot.”
Kaylie chuckled. “Fair enough, but as the medic, keeping him from getting hypothermia is still your job.” She looked into the distance, toward their car and the mysterious black van, scowling as she saw something. “What on Earth is he doing?”
“Malavera? Playing some obnoxious racing game at the table, last I saw. Of course, he could be hacking into things while he’s here, he’s had enough time,” Kayden replied.
“No, Rukari. I thought I saw him climbing onto the van, the one with ‘51’ painted on the side,” Kaylie answered.
Kayden squinted against the light, shielding his eyes long enough to barely make out the glint of a pair of binoculars. “Clever little shit, I’ll give him that,” Kayden replied. “He’s doing what we’re doing, but without having to meet the other teams. Given his command of English, I’m not surprised.”
Rukari smiled to himself as he realized there was just enough room between the van and the tent it was under for someone laying prone to get a good view of the whole place, while simultaneously avoiding being out in the heat. He came from a cold land, and even though he didn’t have his winter pelt, it was unpleasantly warm out for him today, so seeking shelter from the sun was important, and his thirst for knowledge meant he had to know about the other cars. The van’s completely blacked out and blocked-off interior worked in his favor here as he moved, as silent as a ghost in a graveyard, to climb on top of it. A foot on the door handle, both hands on the roof, and he pulled himself up like he was climbing out of a swimming pool, barely louder than the rustle of fabric caused by his leather jacket, gray shirt, and cargo pants as he settled onto the roof of the van. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a pair of binoculars, laid flat against the roof, and started looking out over the parking area. Kayden, Kaylie, and Spots were over by a car with tires where the engine should be, with Kayden looking right back at him for a brief moment. A few stalls down, there was a small van that looked similar to a space ship with three porthole windows on either side of the van. As he was looking around, he scowled as there was yet another obnoxiously loud explosion from Malavera’s laptop as he wrecked yet another rally car in the simulated trees. He pulled out his brass tags and angled them just enough to throw sunlight in Malavera’s direction, hoping that the big Orthrian Khalan would get the hint to turn his volume down a little so people would stop looking his way.
Malavera scowled as another digital rally car ended up spiraling into the treeline and was totaled. “This game is harder than I thought,” he grumbled to himself, looking around to see if any other teams had arrived while he was busy. He caught a glimpse of something brass on top of the van and shook his head, before whispering to Rukari, “Put your tags away, zaruki.”
Rukari seemed to have heard him, because soon after, the brass tags were concealed once again in Rukari’s dark gray shirt. Malavera shook his head and sighed. “Some days, I really do wonder how he made it into special forces,” he muttered. As he started another race, he turned the volume down a few notches, still a little loud, but nowhere near the “who the hell is revving their car in the staging area” level he’d been at before.
Rukari smirked as Malavera told him to put his tags away, followed by turning down the volume. He picked up his binoculars again, seeing the number-45 brick-shaped SUV, the bright orange number-16 hatchback, and the number-69 four-door hatchback all sitting near enough to each other, before spotting the black-and-checkered number-23 city-box. He thought they looked like the sort of people who would enjoy a good drink of moonshine from time to time, and in that moment, he regretted not trying to smuggle in a few bottles of Neihzmarin vo Jailehn, his people’s variation of moonshine. (OOC: Literally translates to “unfreezing water of moonlight.”) He glanced over at the Bricksley, thought about what they had, and stifled an irritated sigh, as no matter what he tried now, he didn’t have the time to make any.
Kaylie smiled as they passed by the number-73 car, an almost-cute-looking little convertible that looked, perhaps, a little out of place with all the crap hanging off of the sides. “Looks like that movie we watched, that ‘Mad Max’ one you wanted to see,” Kaylie said.
“You know, it actually does,” Kayden replied. “It’s the stuff bolted onto the sides that does it, I think. Everyone else mostly uses roof racks, but with a rag-top, you can’t do that.”
A few strides further away, they came across two teams that could not have been more different, with number-77 and number-512 parked near one another. Kaylie and Kayden both knew about the teams thanks to Malavera, who had stumbled across the build-log of the number-77 car, a build from Australia by some, as Malavera put it, ‘mighty strange folks’ in their garage, and also the number-512 car, done to raise awareness for the environment.
“I wonder if the lights are exactly legal,” Kayden said, studying the number-77 and the equipped lightbar.
“Probably not, but let’s face it, neither is our speaker and public address system,” Kaylie replied, “and that’s not even counting half the things Malavera does on a regular basis.”
“Yeah, like getting our bill in the hotel refunded. I don’t know how he does shit like that, but he’s downright scary with a computer in his hands,” Kayden mentioned.
“I wonder if the Australian team would part with a few beers?” Kaylie asked, only for Kayden to laugh.
“It’s not like we have anything to trade for them. I mean, let’s face it, we kept Rukari from smuggling his Valraadi moonshine in the car,” Kayden replied. When the inside of Kaylie’s ears turned pink, however, Kayden stared at her. “What did you do?” Kayden asked.
“The gas cans are full of the stuff. I figured it was a nice surprise for Rukari, and let’s face it, the stuff’s high-proof enough to run the engine if we were desperate,” Kaylie said. “Let’s face it, it’s not every day that someone makes alcohol with lemons.”
“Is the stuff even safe to drink after being in a gas can?” Kayden asked.
“I bought those cans before this event. Never used before until I filled them up with 190-proof lemon-derived ethanol,” Kaylie said.
“Fine, but tell no one we’ve got a trunk full of alcohol,” Kayden grumbled.
Rukari watched as Kayden, Kaylie, and Spots returned to the Bricksley. He slid down from the roof silently, landing with the slightest crunch on the gravel nearby and startling Kaylie, who shrieked like a human who had seen a mouse. “Fucking hell, Rukari!” Kaylie yelled, glaring at him. “Make some noise so other people know you’re around!”
“Why is trunk open?” Rukari asked.
“My wonderful, law-abiding sister smuggled your moonshine in our gas cans, Rukari,” Kayden grumbled. “We’re going to offer a few drinks to some Australians in hopes of getting some beers.”
“Well, if that’s what the three of you are doing,” Malavera said, closing the game on his laptop and closing the lid with a clunk, “I’ll join you.” He stared at the gas cans in the trunk, looked at Kaylie, then said, “Really? You filled our gas cans with moonshine?”
“It’s 190-proof, Mal! The engine would technically run on it,” Kaylie replied. “Come on, help me transfer it into this gallon jug, please?”
Malavera sighed and lifted the can effortlessly, pouring out one gallon’s worth of strong alcohol into an old water jug. “Just make sure you warn the Aussies that this stuff is strong before they treat it like beer and end up drunk and stupid.” He put the can back into the trunk and slung the strap of his laptop over his shoulder as Kaylie laughed.
“They’re Australian, Mal. I’m sure they understand how to handle a strong drink,” Kaylie said, carrying the gallon jug in her chrome left hand. Kayden took the opportunity to hand Malavera the leash to Spots.
“Your turn. He’s yanked me around and Kaylie around for the last hour or so. Now you can walk him,” Kayden said.
Rukari grabbed the partially-emptied gas can and handed it back to Malavera, before closing the trunk. “I see other team, might want strong drink,” Rukari replied.
“Then get me another bottle, Rukari,” Malavera said.
“Not be needed for this team,” Rukari said. “Look like not have problem drinking from fuel can.”
Malavera sighed. “I know the type,” he said. “And no, I think they’d prefer the thrill of drinking out of the gasoline can. You know what, get me an Australian beer and keep it safe for me and I’ll go deal with the other team. Rukari, what do they look like?”
“Look for car, black-and-checkers, with number two-three on side,” Rukari replied.
Malavera nodded. “Hope they don’t freak out over being approached by a two-headed werewolf,” Malavera quipped, gripping the partial can of stupidly-strong alcohol in his left hand and Spots’ leash in his right hand.
“Bet they panic more about Spots than you,” Kaylie said, grinning.
Malavera sighed and made his way over toward Team Hillbilly Rollers, trying to walk in such a way that he didn’t look like he was on the hunt. Too fast, and he’d look like he was rushing in for the kill. Too slow, and he was doing a predatory stalk towards unsuspecting prey. “Things would be easier,” Malavera thought, “if humans didn’t make so many werewolf movies.” Spots, of course, set his own pace, excited to meet new people, and pulled Malavera along, ruining his predatory image as he fought to maintain control over the 170 pound leopard-turned-lap-cat. As he got closer to the other team, he wrapped Spots’ leash around his hand more, keeping the cat closer and making it less likely he’d jump up to try to greet the other team.
Kayden, Kaylie, and Rukari, meanwhile, approached Team Good Things with their jug of high-proof alcohol in Kaylie’s shiny chrome hand. “We have an offer,” Kaylie said, smiling. “A few cans of beer for some high-proof moonshine.”
“If it helps any, this guy made it,” Kayden said, motioning to Rukari, who stood there looking both regal and a bit like a tiger demon all at the same time. “I doubt the son of an Empress would make a bad batch.”
“I make with sour sun-fruit, water, sugar, yeast, and time,” Rukari said.
“Lemons,” Kaylie said, understanding that Rukari’s descriptions were far from universal. “And no, his English is not that good, but, we don’t know how many languages he actually speaks.”
“Seven,” Rukari said with a smile, “though only one you know. Only one from here.”
Kayden gave a sour look. “Twin Suns, now I owe Malavera a drink,” Kayden grumbled. “I bet he knew five, Malavera bet he knew eight.”
“Oh, Malavera’s the big guy over there, can’t miss him,” Kaylie said, pointing toward Malavera, who was straining to keep the ever-enthusiastic Spots from dragging him across the lot.
(OOC Edit: Oops. Forgot to tag @lotto77 and @Knugcab before posting, and just now realized it. Sorry, guys, I’m an idiot sometimes.)
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So the deadline is delayed until the 22nd of January? Just want to make sure I have enough time to get a submission ready
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Yeah, that’s the new day.
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Part 3.5
Part Prologue into the registration.
Mostly waiting for the deadline at the check-in registration area where the event starts.
They get into their recently-acquired L20 SL, and drive to the registration area to get their car checked in.
A hour later, they arrive at the check-in area’s parking lot, Parked is the red Bricksley wearing the numbers 44 to the right, and the Number 77 car and a few other cars. The team park in one of the bays and waits for the car to be checked in to be eligible.
Receptionist: Are you entering?
Matt: I’m driver, John over there Points to John over at the passenger seat that has a broken seat rail, making the seat fairly freely adjustable, He’s the mechanic and partly the driver too. There’s the navigator sitting in the backseat. He points to Jess sitting in the backseat, Also the driver for later on.
Receptionist: Ok, Anyone else?
Matt: No.
Receptionist: Do you mind if i take a look at your car?
Matt: Yeah sure.
The receptionist inspects the car and sees the fairly bogus engine mounting setup of a city car engine
Receptionist: So you’ve forced a motorcycle? engine into a car
Matt: Yep, Works every time, if you can swap the same original engine. It works on any engine you throw at it.
Receptionist laughs a bit
Receptionist: Are you sure you’re reserving number 84? He ticks off the L20 into being able to park there until confirmation it is legal (translation: Awaiting host’s deadline.)
Matt: Yeah.
Receptionist: You can park over there near those cars.
End of dialogue, Matt moves the car into the parking lot again, Parking near the interestingly coloured cars, he starts looking around the cars, seeing 77’s white and red car and the red Bricksley and the black van.
anyone mind if i am able to mention the car numbers and/or model names of vehicles during RP, incase if anyone gets upset, i will remove the team numbers.
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Mentioning models/numbers is fine by me. Just remember, my car here is a Bricksley Familystar, not a Sinistra. Not a big deal, but it could confuse others.
Ah okay. Thought you were using a Sinistra
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DEADLINE IS IN 8 HOURS
PLEASE SUBMIT ANY ENTRIES OR RE-SUBS NOW
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I’m excited already. Team Shift Happens will be in this as long as we can be, and if luck is in my favor, I’ll be writing my side-story to the very end.
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