TEST DRIVE

[idolpro]

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Prompt 1: Amnesia

[ You woke up, all your memories having vacated you. Well, that sucks. But hey, no time like the present to go out and figure out things. Maybe someone in your smartphone contacts knows you or what's going on. You open up your smartphone's lock screen and-- hey, that looks relevant. Profile pages! It has your unit name, member names, but no pictures. . .

Well, the rest varies. This one says Likes: Industrial Strength cleaning products, Breakbeat hardcore, Volleyball shorts and Dislikes: Roombas, Electro-industrial, Maid Outfits. The next has a thrilling tale that concludes with the idol mud-wrestling God, though it doesn't mention if they won or not. The third says that the member became an idol because they want to use the television and media attention to get the notice of their long lost sister, and reunite their family. The fourth just has someone's three sizes. The fifth has a detailed astrological profile.

Since no one remembers their names and there's no pictures to match it to, this is actually less helpful than you hoped. And furthermore, the doors aren't opening until you and the rest of the amnesiacs on this unit tell it who is who. Looks like you and the rest of these people have to discuss which of you is more likely to have mud-wrestled god, and who joined because they really want to find their long-lost sister. Or you can just use the tape-measure that was left sitting on the main table of the center room, that might be a quick way to settle at least one of these things. ]

Prompt 2: Memory Regain

[ You saved up your points, performing in Games or Lives or Vids, something or other until you had enough points to put the order in.

You didn't really know how to expect a memory to look like, but as it turns out there's just an alert on your app. Once you click it, a playback starts-- on the screen, and in your mind. You remember something now.

However, in buying the cheap version, that just broadcasted to several other people's phones in the area as well as all screens in the area. Cool. That was definitely what you were trying to do. ]

Prompt 3: Game Time

[ Welcome to the Game Tower. Today's game is a sort of mad fake phantom thief free-for-all. You arrived, were given top hats and cloaks, and the inside floor of the tower had been remodeled to resemble an art museum, with a giant roulette wheel right by the elevator you exited. Below that was a little slot, where today's hologram host explained the wheel would spit out a slip with a goal just for you.

So you have a little slip of paper with a goal on it, and no way of knowing what anyone else's goals are, though you did see the big roulette wheel being spun at the beginning letting you know the some of the possibilities:

♚Steal a heart
♚Steal a life
♚Steal an object
♚Steal a kiss
♚Steal someone's clothes
♚Steal someone's shoes
♚Steal a secret
♚Steal the giant statue from the center of the museum
♚Steal the portrait that depicts your true love

...well, waiting around isn't going to get you any points. Get to it, temporary phantom thief! ]

Prompts 4: Fanmail

[ Today, trying to take the elevators up from the lobby to access the apartments you and the other units live in just isn't working. Upon the doors being pried open, you found out why quickly: the elevator shaft was jammed up with fan mail, so it couldn't properly descend. Letters cascades out from between the open doors: letters from people who watch you play games, do lives, make vids, and probably all sorts of other things on those omnipresent cameras.

Are you really going to read these? Though right at your feet, a few have spilled from their envelopes. Now you can't help but read those. Here's one in purple glitter pen that says, jesus just come into my home and strangle me with your hair and one that is written with newspaper cut out letters (alarmingly reminiscent of a calling card written by a serial killer) that reads incongruently hello my soft best child ur good and valid and I love you forever plz be ok don't listen 2 the haterz u have done nothing wrong. Oh, and here's one asking if you can wear tighter pants for your next live, they want a better shot of your ass for their shrine. This one just says MARRIED?

Well, it's just as well you have no idea who those were for. Most this fanmail isn't for you. Except for the few that you just read, they're all labeled in envelopes for different people from all the units. Time to read other people's fanmail. Or try and find them and deliver the fanmail. Or just start a big fire in the middle of the lobby, you could do that too. ]

Prompts 5: Wildcard

Feel free to make your own prompt. Here is a link to specific unit information, if you would like to use it as inspiration.

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Comments

[malignstar]

Look, one thing at a time, Elvis.

[capital_asset]

"Elvis"?

[He has no idea what that is.]

[malignstar]

You know, famous singer? Practically invented rock and roll. I mean, that's not your style, but you get the idea. Anyway, let's skip past that. [ He snaps his fingers and points in Raidou's general direction. ] Memory loss. What's the point of mind-wiping a bunch of people and then not bothering to following up the ruse? Seems kind of sloppy, if you ask me.

[capital_asset]

I don't think I've even heard of that style.

[Granted, that's because it hasn't been invented yet in his time, but it's not as if Raidou remembers that right now.]

It could be a technology or resource limit, depending on how many people they've done this to. That and removing someone's memories is probably easier than replacing them with false ones and retraining them.

[malignstar]

[ Okay, now Lucien is truly boggling. ]

What? How do you not know what rock and roll is? It's like classic.

[ Even the most sheltered of people had to know what rock and roll is. Where has this guy been? ]

And they don't need to go through all the trouble of false memories, all they've got to do is put up a convincing front. You may have a point about low manpower though. That should make things easier for us.

[capital_asset]

I'm... not sure.

[He hadn't been that sheltered, surely? Not if he was fighting gods...]

There's also the question of just what they're getting out of all this.

[malignstar]

Well, if they're turning us into idols, I'm going to go out on a limb and say money.

[capital_asset]

There have to be less elaborate ways of getting that, though... although for all we know, that might be part of the appeal for them.

[malignstar]

Yeah, we might just be dealing with eccentric weirdos with a thing for idols.

[capital_asset]

Lucky us.

[malignstar]

Don't get too downhearted. Eccentric weirdos should be easy to exploit once you figure out what makes them tick.

[capital_asset]

There is that.

[And he should know... or at least, he feels like he should know. Somehow.]

I wonder if they're recording all this. It wouldn't surprise me.

[malignstar]

Oh yeah, they've definitely got hidden cameras. Everyone's got hidden cameras. Weird that they gave us these though.

[ Checks out phone again ]

[capital_asset]

[He glances at his own phone, frowning slightly.]

I feel like I shouldn't know how to work this.

[malignstar]

Why's that? You into the oldschool style? The flip phones?

[capital_asset]

...Flip phones?

[Very old-school.]

[malignstar]

[ Okay, maybe not those... ] Blackberry?

[capital_asset]

[Um.]

No?

[At least, he assumes you don't mean actual fruit.]

[malignstar]

[ This is just getting weirder and weirder... ]

Pager?

[capital_asset]

[Raidou just shakes his head, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.]

[malignstar]

You really do shun technology, huh? Wonder what's got you living off the grid. [ He doesn't actually expect Raidou to know. He's more curious than anything at this point. ]

[capital_asset]

I wish I knew.

[This is going to frustrate him for a while, he thinks.]

Although if I'm fighting gods, it probably involved a lot of training.

[Why mud-wrestling, though?]

[malignstar]

Maybe you were raised by monks or something. That sort of thing happens to chosen ones.

[capital_asset]

[Monks, clan elders, tomayto, tomahto...]

...And now I'm apparently an idol in training.

[He pauses.]

I want to ask "what about you," but amnesia makes picking topics more tricky.

[malignstar]

Yeah, I can't give you much. But stuff like this is pretty normal for me. [ He holds up the phone. ]