(Game?) Concept Post: Eidols' Arena

[dreaminghive]

https://www.plurk.com/p/nh9ysw

The Eidols have been a mainstay of the entertainment industry for a long time, now. Performers in brutal games - rarely fatal, but that owes as much to what they are as the activities they're involved in, ranging from gladiatorial battles, displays of individual skill, to team events akin to a MOBA game. Cybernetically and biologically designed for both effectiveness on the battlefield and to create a stunning spectacle... The audience generally believe them to be artificially created beings, give or take conspiracy theories, and while there are some movements to give them freer and better lives, this world is one that's already corrupt. And besides, they seem to enjoy themselves, right?

Appearances are deceiving.

Eidols are created from unwilling subjects (origins ... open to debate ...), mentally coded to overlay a performing Eidol's artificial personality on top of the existing host's own mind and memories. This is hardly a perfect procedure, though... to destroy the host mind would destroy what makes them intelligent beings, so it's possible to recover that mind if done carefully.

And on occasion, Eidols will recover on their own...

Out of the way of the cameras and public, a small resistance community has formed. Escaped Eidols, those allied to them, and individuals rescued during the process of their 'redesign' who aren't entirely one thing or another. Some just want to try and work out a new kind of settled, normal life... some would rather fight back. Tear down the system that's making them into something strange and new, or even take things to a higher level...

And possibly fight against their own kind?

Other cybernetic combatants exist in this world; Enforcers. Security and police who show no signs of the personalities or drama of performing Eidols, but were once like any of them... The Eidol system is in part a training ground for new Enforcers, though this is another closely guarded secret. The powers that be can monitor the combat performances of their 'recruits' and check for any signs of possible personality misalignments, while recovering some of the resources spent in creating them or sharing the cost with the Eidols' private sponsors...

There are a number of organizations who manage/produce Eidols, and loyalty to these groups is almost as heavy as that given to the ancient Roman charioteer teams. Each has its own signature 'style' that they give to the Eidols they create; one might aim for an animalistic look, one for a sleek and blatantly mechanical one, though the modifications applied to any given individual will use similar technologies across the board. In fact, most Eidols are designed to be able to switch between a more human-like (if still very much built to their aesthetic!) frame for non-combat activities or a more specialised one for their 'performances'.

Aesthetic inspiration: Metal Gear cyborgs, Astral Chain Legions.