no blue shells please | ruhan's hot laps

[LAIN 🍽 1M | Mattio]

R U H A N / N A R A N G

It had been a long time since Ruhan gripped these steering wheels. He'd gotten so lost in other projects, dipping his hands in adventure games and his toes in MMORPGs that physical Go-Kart racing slipped his mind. His feet tapped the brake pedal to remind himself just how sensitive the controls were. Ruhan asked Vinay, his son, on numerous occasions to detail the in-and-out strategies of these games. Digital, of course. But even digital advice would help for the real deal.

He lived vicariously through his son, creating the games that he'd wished he could have on the computers back when he was a boy. Hunger Games Battle Royale, Racing. Real. Interactive. Both of those activities at the festival beat out the analog likes of Tetris or Snake. The best part was that there were no repercussions for either of them. Success made him happy, and by proxy made his son happy, too. Ruhan turned to look over to the boy, his face, of course, lit up by the screens ahead.

The engines of all the riders roared, and Ruhan tapped his gas. He inched forward, in line with all the other racers. Competitive by nature, he was ready to go. With his head resting against the cushion, fingers freshly wiped clean to ensure he didn't slip on the wheel, and heart beating faster than a bullet train, he waited rather impatiently for the lights to go green.

Red.
Yellow.
GREEN!

Go.

ELEGANT

Ruhan Races.

x|J7pNcQVl100+100
100+100
100+100
100+100
100+100


did he crash at all?

1-100

total: 143.6 100+100·100+100·100+100·100+100·100+100·1-100

[LAIN 🍽 1M | Mattio]

R U H A N / N A R A N G

Ruhan's kart managed to race through the initial laps with ease. He hugged the inner corners, whizzing through each one with a healthy lead that not even the player who started in the front of the race could compete with. But as time went on, he struggled. Most of the people participating were kids, most of them smaller than him. With every turn he made, he jerked further and further off-center in the cart, to the point of sliding back and forth around every bend.

The last few laps didn't go as he hoped. He lost a lot of ground. Active games like these weren't for the feint of heart, and Ruhan realized how nerve-wracking it must be for the Peacekeepers around the district to drive vehicles without safety bumpers to get around. Thankfully, he's only ever ridden in one when he was escorted to the unveiling of his first Capitol-contracted project. By the end of the fifth lap, though, when the go-karts skid to a complete stop by command of machinery, his heart dared to rip out of his chest. He didn't even know what place he was in. All Ruhan knew was that he needed a glass of water and a seat with some peace and quiet.

"I think…" a long, exhausted sigh broke apart his words. "I think I'm going to stick to controllers and a computer screen."

ELEGANT