dude you should have known better.
also a second round of salt in a row doesn’t sound like fun to me ngl
dude you should have known better.
also a second round of salt in a row doesn’t sound like fun to me ngl
It was quite clear that comfort was one of the priorities… To call yourself a hero for missing one of them while the vast majority other people did indeed see them is a bit… shall we say narcissistic and ignorant…
You didn’t say anything about comfort points
Also you didn’t actually passed even the toughest conditions, you just got binned. I’m sorry, you didn’t pass.
I consider myself “bad” at this game but even I have the common sense to realize that 0 comfort is not good
cope + L + ratio
Or simply, just read the rules and make something at least half-decent, instead of doing stupid things and bitch about the rules whenever you lost lol
As a more broad statement, comfort almost always matters. Generally, the host will include realism and common sense, either as a rule or an explicit priority (as it is here). This is a car that someone will actually be driving around in and using, as a daily driver. Would you daily drive a car so uncomfortable that the ratings just give up and say “your car fails at this”? That’s what a score of zero means. It’s sometimes valid, of course - offroad and sportiness are incredibly common zeroes - but context matters heaps.
I came across the exact same problem when hosting TMCC14 - one of the entries I received for that challenge also had a comfort score of zero. And I am as shocked as anyone else to find out that one of the entrants in CSR 144 also had a 0.0 comfort rating.
mf made a racecar instead of a normal car lmfao
Hold on. Zero comfort??? 0? HOW DOES SOMEONE DO ZERO? Someone explain. I have never seen zero comfort before in any Automation tournament/challenge.
Thank you all for the interesting interpretation, I think I’ll ignore the next round for now because it’s unlikely to be as interesting. And I can be forced to participate in the challenge only if the task is incredibly suitable and cool.
Take every challenge as a humble learning experience. Every challenge will have it’s perks. There can only be one winner, if your car didn’t meet the cut, there will be another round.
I’d imagine race suspension tune, unsmooth/loud engine with plenty of torque and basic interior stuff due to cost cutting.
people should realise that a 0 comfort car is somewhat similar as a f1 car, and , unless the wanted car is a race car… having 0 comfort means 0 chances of being tested
That’s like submitting a bare chassis with just a seat, a steering wheel and an engine. Like how Jeremy Clarkson put it: Four wheels and a fucking seat.
MISERY BUSINESS
instabin that only got realized now
by @Xepy
Reason for bin: OVER BUDGET
A decently fast car that could’ve fared well in terms of other stats if not for being over the budget. Also has staggered tyres which would’ve been a nightmare to find spares for so that’s actually probably a minus point. Interestingly though service costs remained low enough to not be an issue. Looks decent enough though feels like it’s lacking something.
byeirys (at least that’s what i think the name references not sure)
aw fuck just missed it
i had a swaggin car for this
Its Tuesday and Mikki was over at his friend Allan’s house early. After troughing through the cold Nevada winter afternoon on his flimsy old TTrunk bicycle, he’d finally make it to the warmth of his friend’s two-storey house.
He was greeted by an older lady at the door, who let him in through the back where he propped his bike up with the kickstand and popped into the house, leaving his shoes at the door and heading upstairs into his friend’s room.
Upon entering, he was greeted by the cheery rambling of his incompleted friends group. On the bed, sat a slightly chubby figure mashing around a controller, who stopped what he was doing to greet Mikki upon his arrival.
“Yo! It’s Mik! Hi Mik!” He greeted before unpausing the game and going back to playing.
“Aye, sup Louis.” Mikki greeted back.
On the other side of the room, a slightly taller figure than Louis was scrolling through his laptop atop the table.
“Hey Allan, hope I’m not arriving too early.”
“You’re late, que estupida.” Allan greeted as he continued scrolling through his laptop. “Upo ka lang diyan. Dala mo laptop mo diba?”
“Oo.” Mikki said as he sat on the bean cushion next to the bed, dropping his bag next to him and pulling out the red Microsoft Surface tablet.
“Yan, sinend ko na.” Allan said as a notification flickered onto Mikki’s laptop, he tapped on it and was instantly bombarded with at least 40 different classifieds from around the area. Mikki gulped as he skimmed through most of them
“Can we really go through all of this in a day?” He asked nervously.
“Yea.”
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
literaly just the bins no more edgy emo punk aaaaaaaaaaa
“Right, here’s the first one.” Mikki loaded them as Allan walked over behind him.
“FWM, I’ve heard of these, don’t they… make death traps? Like this one’s got over 300 horsepower and barely any assists? Are you trying to kill me?” Mikki asked anxiously as Allan stood there behind him not uttering a single word except when a creepy grin grew on his face.
“Yes.”
(Whilst the looks are era appropriate, looks a bit outdated for a car with model year 1995. As for stats, the 5 seats are not instabinnable, but probably binnable, too much seats for a car this tiny. It’s also basically a death trap with too much power and no TCS. )
by @conan
“Okay, I’ll pretend you didn’t say anything.” Mikki said as he flicked onto the next one.
“Oh, it’s… gold…?”
“You’re obnoxious, and I decided to get you something that reflects you.”
“Wow, thanks, asshole.”
(Almost a luxury boat but some things make it kinda weird. Not feeling the colour nor usage of fixtures on this one, bin on looks. Very expensive although it is a bit more on the premium side, but considering what the other cars offer I think this won’t make it to the test drive. )
by @EnCR
Mikki then flicked onto this red coupe.
“Wahey, this one’s looking cool.” He said as he continued reading through.
“Oh, a V6…”
“Yeah, but it’s the cooler V6. Look at it!” Allan said enthusiastically.
“This one apparently doesn’t come with ABS, and the steering feel is number on the V6 models of this one. eeeeeeeeh, I’ll pass.”
(Looks are very era appropriate, no complaints other than a classier colour could be better, pretty cute pony car although a tad generic. It’s a V6 pony car, pretty decent all around except for the lack of variable power steering and ABS hampering driveability. Not considered a finalist. )
by @brunator
“The hell’s this blue thing?” Mikki said as he yet again flicked through and landed on another car.
“FOUR WHEEL DRIVE SUPREMACY” Allan said enthusiastically.
“Yeah, no.”
“The one time I actually try not to kill you…”
“‘Actually’???!!!”
(4WD boxer engine mini-GT kinda thing, funky but very expensive and not very reliable and lacks power. Looks-wise, front is okay, rear could use work, blue is a bit too saturated for my tastes, bin on looks and uninteresting engineering. )
“I swear to god you’re sabotaging me.”
(Based on looks alone, pretty ugly and is discarded for that. Other stats and choices are decent although TCS would’ve been nice considering this thing’s power and the year of introduction. )
by @Mikonp7
“Woah, this one’s funky.” Mikki’s eyes glowed when he saw this one.
“Yeah, got a lot of power apparently.”
“Wait wha-? 290hp? Really? For an 80s coupe muscle car? Nah, cut the shit, too good to be true.”
(Cheap as hell so the stats are what you pay for, except that it makes way too much power for the era, as even the top of the line Corvettes made at most 230 NA, whilst being way more expensive than this, so probably a “too good to be true” realism bin. )
by @Texaslav
“Woah! I’m starting to like this.”
“Yeah, Active torque vectoring differential, everything all that.”
“What’s there not to like about this…? Ah, $4400… Okay, I’ll hold off for now.”
(Decent all around, fast wheel drive makes it very swag and good even with the less advanced suspension etc. Has a quirky engine making decent power and handles pretty well although actual sports stat implies driving feel isn’t that great. Not a lot to really consider here over others so it does not make for the finalists. )
“HON HON OUI OUI BAGUETTE” Allan called out all of a sudden after Mikki flicked onto this one.
“Oh, these. I saw a Bottom Gear Episode about this one. Unreliable, oversteers to hell and back. I don’t know if you’re trying to kill me or not anymore buuuuuuuut-”
(VIVA LA FRANCE! Small french coupe hon hon very very cute would’ve been adorable to pick the girl up in this, if it didn’t have all the French quirks of unreliability, and apparently terminal oversteer? Binned. )
by @TheTom
“Oh, that’s a thing.”
After staring at it for a bit, Mikki flicked it away and moved onto another car.
(Interesting stats and specs, not a lot to write home about here, although the looks let it down enough for it not to make it past the bins. About the looks, It’s a design and it’s not very good. Probably a bin just for that alone since it’s nothing special and not exactly ugly. )
by @T0M
“Oooh, this one looks cool… Why are the headlights opaque?”
“Beats me.” Allan shrugged as he sat down on the bed next to Louis, observing as he died on the 504th replay of Angel Shall Agony.
“What else… Oh my, 300hp V8?! Wait a second! FWD? Hell no, this thing must be a death trap.”
(Bin for a couple of things; it’s a good looking car, albeit a bit boyracer ish for my tastes, but some stuff like its cast internals on a 300hp car, and with the transverse FF V8 platform toRque steer mobile makes it not very desirable in that regard, also service costs oof. )
by @mart1n2005
“Another unusual one.”
“You think all of these are unusual. Just pick one already.”
“YOU SENT ME 40 FUCKING CARS YOU IMBECILE!”
(Some realism issues like too much power for the era and 4 seats in a coupe that’s too small are too much to overlook for this one. Combined with rather unappealing and outdated looks for the era make this a bin. Not a terrible looking car, albeit body style is more or less outdated by 1978 and is even more outdated by the 80s. )
by @BG004130
“From Russia with love… Is this a joke?”
“По словам твоей мамы, единственная шутка - это ты.”
“???” Mikki looked at Allan confused, and quietly flicked the ad away.
(Bin on looks alone. The front is fine, but when you get to the rear, you just don’t look twice and walk away. The rest, since you said this is a “russian” car, there’s no way that collapsed industry is going to make something with these stats. They’re good but unrealistic. Lore aside which i dont really care about tbh, this doesn’t make it to the test drives. )
by @Edsel
“Do you think I’m some kind of 50 year old?”
“You dress like one.”
“Shut up.”
(A very boaty very comfy very luxurious PLC from the late 70s. Looks okay enough but the engineering is a bit wack. Too much power for the era [most cars of this kind just got like, 180 from a 7 litre V8]. Looking for a sporty but decently premium car here, not exactly the other way around. )
by @Riley
“Oh, oh, oh! Look at this one, get it Mikki! It’s worth it 100%!” Allan began to enthusiastically shake Mikki’s shoulders.
“That’s a scam for christ’s sake! Sod off! Those things go for $10,000 don’t they?”
(Very beautiful and gorgeous, but all I can say is that it completely misses the brief and breaks the calculator. Realism is set as a 3-star priority and as such this doesn’t make it through because it just doesn’t make sense for it to exist for under $4500 unless something is severely fucked with it. )
After having shaken off Allan from his shoulders, he decided to go through them by himself while the other two just continued trying to beat Angel Shall Agony.
by @nightwave
(Expensive listing price for a car that doesn’t really sell in terms of looks. Other stats are decent enough, but is outshone by a lot of other cars in other departments like aesthetics and price. Front upper fascia is decent enough, but the bottom fascia looks a bit tacked on with the chrome and the rear is rather disproportionate with lights too huge for the car. The trim also looks shoddily placed on. )
(Vaguely interesting. Transverse FF, and relatively decent stats would’ve made for a pretty okay competitor. However, the front fascia is unremarkable. The upper grille doesn’t really work with it and the rear lights could’ve really been made better. Also the exhaust placement is disgoosting dont do that ever again please thanks. You’ve gotten better since your last CSR in terms of engineering, but the looks is something you could’ve improved upon. )
by @fromaj
“Wow, imagine picking her up in this… Can’t imagine the service costs though…”
(A decent enough looking luxury boat. Very classy looking coupe, would be absolutely baller to pick a girl up in. Some parts could be improved upon, like the weird slapped on plastic trim on the front bumper and lower front fascia. But overall decent and enough to not get binned. Would’ve been fine if it weren’t for the incredibly high service costs and high loudness of 56. For the price other cars might be a better deal. )
by @lotto77
(Quite a weird package this one, tiny inline 5, not a lot of power and AWD, suspiciously low service costs as a result. Engine also has performance intakes which okay I guess are broken but as a result makes the car very loud. Doesn’t make it to the test drives. )
“Ah, my neighbour has one of these. Could be an interesting choice but they don’t really give off the vibe I want.”
(Good driveability, okay sportiness, a decent amount of power and good mpg make for an appealing package, whilst the relatively pedestrian looks might drag it down. Overall, the other finalists are probably leagues ahead of this one, so it unfortunately doesn’t make it. )
by @Marv666
(another mouthful
haha that’s what Ashley will say
i wish
Quirky european roadster with very padded interior. Comfort is appreciated but results in absurdly high service costs. Has among the better driveability across the field but the reliability really brings it down. Looks don’t really save it much either as its a bit too lacking for my tastes and feels kind of flat. )
“That name has got to be a coincidence.”
(There was no reason for you to name the car file like this.
ok maybe there was
No complaints here much in terms of stats other than the transverse boxer is very much unrealistic. I’m a pedant and realism is a 3-star priority so unfortunately this one hits the bin. Would’ve still fared very well had the engine layout been changed to accomodate a Longitudinal mounting, however. )
by @Elizipeazie
(These things will probably last forever. Nothing much to write home about here. Looks normal for a sports coupe and nothing stands out about it a lot. Not a bad thing but that doesn’t net it any extra points over the other cars. Not as sporty or powerful or hauls ass or even has swagger (prestige) as much as the other cars so doesn’t really make it past the bins. )
by @Kyorg
“Holy shit, I’m saving this one!”
(A very swagger looking 90s V8 coupe, very menacing, very macho, very “put a girl in your bed” kinda vibes. Wheels might be a bit large although this wheelbase is quite small. Overall sex/10. I doubt Mikki will be able to handle this 360hp superbeast properly but look at how much sex it packs. Stats are great in terms of comfort prestige and reliability to the point of near minmax but hey irl chevrolet big blocks will run forever with a hammer and WD-40 so this gets a test drive fo sho. )
by @Sky99
(It’s not really what I’m looking for here. Nothing majorly interesting to talk about. Looks German and has pretty basic fixture usage all around. Not really enough to get it past the bins. Like the DaH SuperCoupe or the Apoapsis Current, it feels a bit out of this era and the uninteresting looks and high price don’t do it any favours. )
“Ooh, cute! Although… is this a kit car?”
(Whilst nice and cute, fibreglass panels are unrealistic for a car such as this and a lack of LSD makes this not very fun. Would’ve been nice to have matched more what irl offerings would’ve brought instead of this min-max trying to be a kit car. 3-star realism priority and no MR car from the factory at this price and market point came with fibreglass body panels so this is a realism bin. )
by @S31
(Not terrible looking, although the shiny as hell automation default paint lets it down a bit and other cars just outshone it. Some realism issues with a 5V engine and long tube headers. Basically a race engine and isn’t realistc for what I’m looking for so this does not make it past the bins. )
(Whilst a very appealing vehicle, the lack of a TCS with this amount of power and the higher service costs over the other cars is enough to make the car not really make the cut. Very muscular looking coupe, kind of gaudy but matches its power level very well. The fixture and colour combo could’ve been better matched as right now it looks rather podgy with the fixtures it has. )
by @66mazda
(A very luxurious and very large boat. Prestigious and decently powerful for what it is, sportiness and driving feel lags behind a bit but it could work. Goes to the test drives. )
by @titleguy1
“Doesn’t Melissa in my fourth period class own one of these?”
(Whilst a good looker, the stats don’t really have anything majorly relevant to offer. Reliability is very good but doesn’t really make up for the lackluster everything else at least compared to the competition. )
by @BTCheetah
(Some unusual engineering choices are present on this vehicle, but the main kicker of this this thing was its looks, the moment I saw it I didn’t really want anything to do with it.
A lot better cars exist for the price. )
by @theview
(Like other cars like it, there’s not enough to really give this an edge over others, especially with its fairly lackluster design and unrealistic engineering which has long tubes(?). Does not make it to the finals. )
by @tzuyu_main
(Very gorgeous. Has enough stats to back up the looks even though sportiness could’ve been improved with the addition of some kind of LSD. Overall, seems to be a good package on the outside and passes to the test drive. )
by @SayokiN
(Comfort seems to be the main kicker of it, but it can’t be that bad, can it? All other stats sseem decent enough and so it passes to the test drives. Very bright, very youthful, very muscular, and very sex bringer. Long overhangs feel perfect, almost everything is perfect about this car. OR IS IT )
by @Portalkat42
“I am genuinely convinced he wants me dead.”
(A very nice looking coupe that hides a lot more than the skin shows, although it hides a bit too much. The EIGHT LITRE VEE EIGHT takes up a shitton of the engine bay and makes a WHOPPING 50 horsepower per litre to create 400hp. This results in stupid high service costs and needing the entire Persian Gulf to move 1 centimetre. Yeah this one’s obvious. )
by @donutsnail
“No fucking way! I’m definitiely going to consider this one!”
(An absolute beauty of a roadster in every form. Even if it runs an archaic chassis, it’s still the newest car here by a small margin and that gives a great relevancy advantage. Considering how good its stats are as well, it’d be sacrilege to not attempt to pick Ashley up in this whip. )
by @Zetra
(Nice work literally making this entire thing in under 4 hours. Unfortunately leads to quite a bit of oversights. Its stats are probably the worst by a margin, even though sportiness is pretty good. Overall, there are just better cars for what you pay for this and as such does not pass to the final test drives. )
After that grueling day, and with the sun setting, Mikki headed home on his bike, deciding not to eat dinner at Allan’s house especially after he’d found out he probably wants to kill him.
Cars that proceed to the test drives:
@Kyorg
@66mazda
@Tzuyu_main
@SayokiN
@donutsnail
Mikki was awoken to the sound of his blinds forcefully being opened, and the stomps of his old man as he womped around his room, trying to get him to wake up.
“Mikki, punyeta, gumising ka na! You said we’re going to go for test drives today, and yet here you are!” His dad said as he yanked the covers right off of Mikki. A cold shudder went down through him as the cold morning air grazed the exposed skin on his arms and legs. He tried forcing his eyes open by rubbing them to look at the time, and when they were open and he had sat up from the twin size bed he was sleeping on, the clock atop his desk read; “07:45”.
“It’s so early…” He stretched before climbing off of his bed and grabbing his faded Puma hoodie sitting atop his desk, quickly pulling it over atop of him and climbing downstairs with his dad. Upon arrival, there was a bowl of cereal ready to go, and he sat down on the dining table and quickly scooped it all up, before doing the usual morning routine of washing the used dishes and some basic stretches, and finally he walked back up towards his room to get dressed.
As he was putting on his long sleeve thermal jacket, he suddenly recieved a ring on his phone. He quickly grabbed it and scrolled to the latest notification.
"Are you ready for tonight? I sure am~!"
Yet again, it was a message from Ashley. His heart began pounding out of nowhere and he felt his face begin to glow red and heat up as visualizations of what might happen tomorrow flashed through his mind.
“You gonna keep being flushed over there, or are we going to finally go out and buy this thing?” His dad barged through the door seemingly out of nowhere, and Mikki was visibly startled at this. He put his phone down and sighed, before putting on his shoes and following his dad out to the garage.
The gate opened and the cold December breeze rushed into the garage, Mikki hopped into the silver SUV’s passenger seat and his dad climbed into the driver’s seat, the large six cylinder fired into life and the two finally headed out towards their first destination.
FIVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
yeah you know what this is
Kaizen SCP24 by @66mazda
Their first destination was not too far away. Upon arriving at the typical upper middle class single family home in the middle of some fairly decent neighborhood, they immediately saw the black coupe sitting on the driveway. Mikki’s dad parked their car on the street right in front of the house and Mikki went ahead to ring the house’s doorbell.
An exchange of greetings later and the owner of the car handed him the keys to the car, although he rode along with Mikki to make sure that he didn’t do anything weird. Upon entering the car, Mikki was greeted with a decently plush, albeit somewhat blandly styled interior that definitely had that elegant touch to it, though in a bit more of an unflambouyant way.
Pulling out of the driveway and stepping out of the throttle and opening up on the decently wide suburban road, the 3 litre sophisticated straight six pumped the power to the drivetrain with a certain kind of class to it, one that felt as though it wanted to roar out loud but still restricting itself to maintain its own idea of elegance. Making things short, it didn’t accelerate as much as it could’ve.
Driving around a bend, the moment he turned in the rear felt stable, albeit the steering did not communicate the road as much as he would’ve liked and the car felt a bit boaty and lumpy to drive around. Shifting through the gears was much of the same story, it didn’t feel much like a true driver’s car in one way or another, and more of a luxury boat that wanted to give the slightly upper class driver a bit more extra driving feel through their typical evening rush hour cruise.
Unsatisfied with the car, Mikki pulled back into the driveway and thanked the owner for the opportunity to test drive the car, and went back to his dad shaking his head.
Seikatsu Accipiter by @Tzuyu_main
After a quick trip on the freeway, they arrived over in Summerlin at a decently prestigious neighborhood. Y’know, those ones with a golf course in the middle of them with gates and stuff. They felt decently out of place in their Yamada SUV, but still when they pulled up to the single story house and met the owner wiping the car down in the driveway, they calmed down slightly.
It was an older Chinese man, looking to be in his mid-late 40s, and already beginning to have his hair grey out. Mikki and the man talked for a bit, and the owner gave him the keys and let him run free whilst he talked with his dad. On the outside, the Accipiter looked way smaller than the Kaizen, even though they were roughly the same wheelbase. Trunk space might be a slight issue for this one.
Mikki popped right into the driver’s seat, the interior, like the Kaizen he just drove, was plush but still very spacious. The colour contrasting nicely with the dark green interior. He looked in the back and saw how spacious the rear was as well, perfect for hauling loads inside the cabin in the event that his club might need him to carry a fully assembled airplane. He started up the car, and the V6 engine hummed into life with a decent enough noise to be interesting. He fiddled with the shifter slightly and found it to be smoother than the Kaizen’s, but didn’t really have that “sporty” feeling.
Driving around, the V6 lump in the front powering the front wheels exclusively felt a bit limiting in terms of sport handling characteristics, but acceleration was decent and felt on par with the Kaizen. Turning a corner, he felt the car’s power steering take over a bit more, but still handling felt sharper in a way than the previous car he drove. Like some kind of fly-by-wire spaceship out of Star Wars.
After properly evaluating it, he went back to find his old man and the owner of the car cracking a couple of jokes whilst standing in the driveway. As he got out of the car and climbed into their SUV, his father broke the news to him about maintenance costs about the car, and how the owner told him he’d had more stuff in the car break down than he ever did during his teenage years.
Mikki gave it some thought for a bit, but decided to head onto the next car for now.
Elitas RC5 by @Kyorg
After a spot of lunch at a nearby In-N-Out, they arrived at the next destination which wasn’t too far away from Summerlin and nearby a relative of theirs. The place selling it was a used car dealership that didn’t quite seem to understand what they had, but either way they went for a test drive.
Inside, the interior wasn’t as plush as the Japanese coupes, nor was it as spacious as them, and even had that hint of cheap American-ness to it, but the interior was still decently equipped with a newer CD player this time instead of an older Cassette unit.
The dealership’s parking lot was decently large and empty enough, and so they conducted the test drive there. Immediately it was obvious to him that this car was something else entirely, the smallest amount of throttle input was enough to force him and his dad back into the seat. Turning around, he felt the rear ready to slip at any moment and break loose into a fiery tango, despite the advanced suspension geometry.
The big iron lump in the front heavily hampered handling, and turning it quickly felt like a gamble on whether you were going to understeer or oversteer. As much as he loved how the car look, he felt as though this was a major detriment to everyday driveability, and considering its low day-to-day City MPG isn’t exactly the best for a student like him, and how much the dealership said it would cost, he unfortunately would have to let this beast of a machine go.
Delphus Firehawk Indy by @SayokiN
After teleporting themselves all the way to San Bernardino, they arrived in a small town where they met the owner of this prime muscle car example.
Exchanging a few words with the owner, they once again set out for another test drive, with Mikki’s dad this time reciting a small prayer that he wouldn’t crash this muscle car.
Climbing in, and already the car seemed like a downgrade from the Elitas he drove earlier and even more so against the two other Japanese coupes. It still felt decently premium but it was definitely miles away from what the others offered. One thing that Mikki found rather disappointing, but what his father quite liked was the appearance of an automatic transmission. Without any manual shifting modes nor the ability to dump the clutch, the driving engagement in terms of bringing the power to the road was somewhat nerfed.
Driving the car now, and handling was a bit better than what Mikki expected, but still, the ride quality could’ve been better even though the driving feel was very great. Acceleration is just as good as the Elitas, albeit ever so slightly worse due to the automatic transmission.
With the quick test drive over, he asked the owner some questions and found out the vehicle’s abysmal fuel economy, though for what it was being sold for, it certainly seemed like a good pick, but still there was one more car that was closer to home and he still hasn’t checked out. And so, Mikki and his dad went on the drive home because the teleporter broke or something.
Cabirou Crosshair by @donutsnail
They arrived back in Vegas just before sunset, and the final car was a bit closer to the freeway in a newer neighborhood somewhere a few minutes south of Henderson.
The owner was a fairly enthusiastic man who definitely seemed like the kind of person who’d be into these kinds of cars. After a quick conversation, and chatting about Mikki’s plan for the year. The owner cheerily gave him the keys and let him free.
Mikki observed the car from afar, it had the ideal exuberance and feel from a distance, whilst the colour was something that he thought could’ve been something else, he still felt as though it complemented the car very, very well.
Hopping into the car, the lack of rear seats certainly were a shame, but the trunk seemed large enough from the outside and the interior felt very well equipped, not as much as the Japanese coupes, but better than the Delphus and about on par with the Elitas. The cabin was still relatively spacious thanks to the car’s overall large size. He had a sigh of relief as he looked down towards the centre column and saw the manual transmission, ready to be grabbed.
Shifting into gear, the transmission and clutch were decently easy to operate, comparable in sports feel to the Seikatsu. The throttle feel was great, the engine was responsive and felt eager to please. On the roads, there wasn’t the neck snapping, tyre burning acceleration of the Elitas or the lightweight responsiveness of the Delphus, but it felt like a perfect in between the boatiness of the Seikatsu and Kaizen. Through the turns, the ladder chassis felt a bit heavy and cumbersome, and the steering feel like the Seikatsu and Kaizen were fairly numb, but the acceleration of the V8 combined with how smooth it rode through the turns were able to make up for it.
When Mikki was done, he pulled back into the driveway of the owner, and asked more information about the car. It was durable enough, and MPG wasn’t terrible. He weighed his options and attempted to give himself some time to think.
Mikki’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and once he pulled it out, another notification from Ashley was there. He read it and saw an address sent to him. The District?, he thought as yet another notification appeared from atop his screen.
"Pick me up here, I've got two tickets to a classic movie. Come with me tonight, don't say maybe."
Mikki pulled up to the location where Ashley asked him to, and waited for a bit, shutting the engine down to conserve fuel. The clock read 9 o’clock, and out of nowhere, a light knock on the window was heard. Through the car’s slightly fogged window glass, he saw a blonde-haired girl smiling towards him, with two cups of coffee in her other hand, and he quickly unlocked the doors.
“Hey, Mikki! Happy New Year!” She greeted with a wide grin on her face as she opened the door and climbed in.
“Hey, did I make you wait long?” He nervously asked as he locked the doors back and started the car back up, the fairly quiet V8 engine firing up with a slight hum. The girl next to him enthusiastically looked around the decently clean cabin, clearly expressing excitement.
“Nope, not at all! I just got here, actually.” She said, taking her fairly thick brown and yellow plaid jacket off and tossing it behind the seat.
“You did? How did you get here… any… way…?” Mikki observed as she took her jacket off, his voice trailing off as he asked the question. He looked up and down the girl next to him, she wore a black and white dress and had a beret on her head. Covering her legs were a pair of stockings and to cap them off, a pair of cute black dress shoes beneath her feet.
“Like what you see?” She blushed slightly and looked away. “T-try not to stare too much, you’re making me flustered…”
“A-ah! Sorry! I just…-”
“Can’t help it?” A smirk slowly grew upon her slightly flustered face as she pointed her eyes back towards him. “I live in an apartment nearby, my parents are in New York so I’m pretty much off on my own. Occasionally my aunt does come over every few weeks, so I don’t really get lonely.”
She then unzipped the bag on her lap, and pulled out a small piece of paper with another address on it, double checking to see it was the right one before finally handing it over to Mikki. “This is the location I wanted to go to.”
Mikki took it from her, “Right. Can’t say maybe, so I guess we’re going there then.”, he immediately recognized the location, it was an old place somewhere up North, and was a quick drive away. As he set off, the two shared stories whilst sitting around in traffic. It was New Year’s Eve after all, so the rush of evening goers just like him and Ashley were rushing to and fro wherever they needed to be. But alas, they arrived just a few minutes before the movie started.
They pulled up at the theatre, giving their tickets at the booth and parking nearby the screen, right next to some other classic cars all driven by retro enthusiast lovers just like the two of them.
“So, what movie did you take me to?” Mikki asked as tuned the radio to match the drive-in theatre’s, and prepared to take off the car’s targa roof.
“You’ll see,” She teased as she tugged on Mikki’s sleeve, “Also, It’d be nice if the roof stayed down, but that’s just me.”
Mikki looked at her and sighed, “Right, was going to take it off so we could get a clearer view of the movie, but if you insist I guess.”, he lowered his hands and just decided to wait for the movie to start, and eventually it did after seemingly an eternity of awkward silence. All the lights around went out, and only the light bouncing off of the projector was there to illuminate their figures within the car. The thirty seconds worth of corporate filmmaking logos would all flash one by one with their sound effects until finally, the actual movie had begun.
At first, Mikki didn’t recognize it, but once the opening sequence had begun and he’d suddenly remember some memories, good and bad.
“Oh, its this movie, huh?” He chuckled as the movie began playing and looked at over Ashley, sitting next to him. She was barely illuminated by the bright projector, but he could see the small contours of her small frame wrapped around by her clothes. It wasn’t very clear to him, but he could see her pull something out of her bag, he heard a small plastic packet being pulled out and the zipping of her bag again. Ashley gripped the small packet between her lips and took off her seatbelt as she looked towards his face, the two of them briefly making eye contact.
Mikki quickly turned his head back towards the projector, pretending not to notice as he felt the car’s weight shifting around as Ashley leaned over towards him, unbuckling his own seatbelt and moving it away. His heart began thumping at the thought over what was about to happen.
“Mikki?” He heard her mumble. He turned his head towards the window and refused to make eye contact, he could barely mutter, “Y-yeah?”
Ashley climbed over the centre console and over his seat, effectively cornering him by placing her hands on his lap. It was at this point where Mikki’s heart was beginning to audibly thump through his thin chest as Ashley moved closer towards his face. He wasn’t exactly sure what was happening in the moment, but something felt off. What the hell is this all of a sudden?
He felt the plastic packet land on him, and now he could feel Ashley’s breathing landing on his face as he slowly turned his face, now incredibly flustered, towards her.
“Mikki… you’re really obvious sometimes…” She whispered whilst chuckling. “You like me, don’t you?”
He was cornered, there was nothing getting him out of this now, and all he could do was slowly nod. He felt as Ashley lifted her other hand off his lap.
“Say it, Mikki. I want to hear you say it.”
“I…” He took a gulp. It’s now or never, he thought to himself. “I’m in love with you, Ashley.”
He felt his heard begin to thump even faster, and his face grow redder. He didn’t plan on saying it now, and now that he thought about it, he didn’t even plan on saying it at all until he made his grandiose confession, but here he was, cornered into a confession that he’s not sure how to even get out of anymore.
But all his anxiety faded away when Ashley moved away from his face, and a smile began to form as her eyes glistened from the artificial light of the projector screen.
“I’m glad.” She said warmly with her glistening smile, “Have you ever kissed anyone before, Mikki?”
He looked at her, his eyes were full with anticipation, but he couldn’t get the words out and instead, shook his head.
“I can’t hear you~!” She teased as she slowly leaned her face towards him yet again, and now they were face to face, their lips mere centimetres apart.
“I-I’ve never kissed anyone!”
“Wow, you seem pretty proud of that!” She moved her hand towards his chin, “Can we share each other’s firsts, then?”
It was at this moment when Mikki felt the world stop around him. At this point, it felt like the only ones around were him and her, and no one else. It was his moment, his chance. His mind raced and wondered how it all happened, why it happened, and what brought him here.
“Do you…” His voice trailed off.
“I don’t mind, because the truth is,”
And before she even finished her sentence, she moved forward towards him and just went for the attack. Mikki felt Ashley’s soft lips land upon his, just barely able to taste the soft scents of coconut and cookies on her for the short seconds that they were bound with one another.
“I like you too, Mikki. Or heck, maybe I’m in love, too.” She said once she pulled away, her face was barely visible, but from the ambient light all around them, he could tell she was grinning out of pure joy.
He saw behind her the movie screen, the horizontal tango the characters in the movies were now going through, and Mikki felt his face heat up, and Ashley recognized this too. She let go of his face and moved away from him, before tying her hair up into a neat bun, the silhouette of her raised arms beginning to activate something within Mikki. She then took her glasses off and slowly pulled off the suspenders holding up her dress, and her clothes started coming loose.
“You know, when I’m with you,” Slowly, her pretty white dress began to slide right off her smooth skin, exposing her black lace undergarments, “It feels as though it’s just us two.”
She moved her hands down towards his lap, reaching towards the packet that fell onto the seat, and gripping it back with her mouth between her lips, and continued to move her hands down towards his pants, slowly unbuckling the brown leather belt that clamped Mikki’s pants and virginity firmly with him.
“There’s no need for a serenade, Mikki, because being with you beats any kind of cheesy love song.”
She kissed him once more, and Mikki’s hands began moving on their own as he wrapped his arms around her waist and their lips danced in love and passion before they ran out of breath and pulled away. Ashley’s smile was like a constant punch of kisses to Mikki, but to Ashley;
Mikki was a serenade.
And now, the winner of CSR 144 is…
Congratulations on the win @donutsnail! And congratulations to the other finalists who have made it this far.
Thank you all for participating in the first ever LCV4.2 round, I hope this was able to achieve its goal of revealing a lot of important bugs and introducing the community to tuning techniques related to the new version of Automation.
A few post-round writings:
Finishing CSR within a few days is one hell of an experience, but it pays big dividends to start doing reviews as the cars come in. It also very much helps doing that in a challenge for a largely unstable version of automation.
If you’re wondering why I speedran this CSR, I just wanted to redeem myself from the disaster that was CSR140 and this time have more ame writing
I’d say massive props to the devs for releasing a decently stable enough alpha that a CSR could be hosted in it without massive hiccups. Some stuff could be better, but we fucking made it through and that’s what matters.
To the next CSR host: dont host it in 4.2 lmao save yourself some headaches, though if you wanna do that by all means go ahead i’m not your dad
That aside, here’s the rankings:
If need be, I can generate more ranking positions.
I’ll be seeing you!
We got a new CSR speedrun champion, ladies and gents. Round of applause for our host!
Dope write up, just one question…
Did my car get instabinned or binned?