This thread has gotten my intrest in bunraku. Is there a sourcebook that goes in depth into the whole culture or have they not done that yet?

Gets some idle mention here or there, but not even Vice *really* looked into it.

Simsense and Skillsoft stuff is under-representated in general. Workin' on that. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Honestly I have never expected them to go that far in to it, there is only so far a person can look in that direction without feeling... off. The problem is that when you chip someone's brain and turn them in to someone else you steal a little bit more of their humanity every time. Think about what it would do to a person not knowing what is happening to their body during large stretches of their life, but knowing what sort of person "owns" them. It's the sort of thing that creates a terror far worse than any inhuman boogyman.

For some, maybe most, people. But then you have those into BDSM with a blindfold at parties or those that partake of glory holes. I'm sure those people would feel less terrified.

I'm in to the BDSM scene and the difference is, between two or more consenting adults a little roleplay is fun. There is risk but it is controlled risk and if things get too heavy a safe word is tossed out and things are done. Maybe a conversation is had when everyone calms down to see where things got a little too rough.

We are not talking about that but the systematic obliteration of a person's sense of self by a criminal organization that repeatedly subverts their own control of their body by replacing them with an entirely different personality for the use in deviant sexual acts. I've yet to meet a submissive that wants that. some would think it a kinky idea for a scene, or even some fun reading, but when push comes to shove admit that they couldn't deal with it.

Consenting adults. This thread has brought up the topic of those who willing sign the dotted line and surrender their body, mind, and time for pay. Can't get more consenting than that. And a safe word is needed when either the fear is too much of the pain is too much. I would think that being chipped would eliminate the fear and a bouncer like in a Champagne Room would lessen the chance of pain. Plus, in the consenting adult scenario, if word gets out that their workers come to with blood, bruises, and casts then there would be less people willing to lease themselves. And who says they are deviant acts? Is prostitution? Deviant is a word used to describe something that society doesn't openly accept. Things requiring a safe word tend to fall into that category. But in Texas, oral sex falls into it as well.

"Hey Carol. Look, I know life's been rough of late. Tony dumped you, you can't get a job that'll work around your class schedule, and Samantha's moving out this weekend, so you won't be able to cover the rent. Luckily, I know a place that can help. No no, not like ... well ... not *exactly* like that. It's a Bunraku parlor. No no no, hear me out! They put a datajack in, like mine, see? You go to work, you sit around and hang out and we chat and play cards and stuff, then when a client comes in, he picks somebody he like sthe look of, then they give him this catelogue of personas. He picks one and they give it to you. You put it in, and it's like having a nap. You wake up after what feels like a long blink, but a hundred Nuyen richer. This place is quality, even has people that wash you up, give you medical checkups so, you know, no Problems, right? You won't even notice what happened! Plus, you get to keep the skillwires, really give you a leg up when looking for work next year ... I hear Horizon moves people with 'wires to the front of the applications, since you can work any department without being trained, right from day one. Benefits, a health plan, 'wires for later, plenty of cash, and you sleep through the whole thing! I'v ebeen doing it for months and it's great! Just ... think about it, 'kay?"

Some people like myself understand just how evil it can be, but yet we can also see how even today people are treated by those in power as nothing but cogs in the machine. They are not seen by the owners of the parlor as people but as tools to be used.

And to be honest, in a way simply playing shadowrun puts ya into that feeling off way. It's a game where there is no real good or evil for most people in the world, just shades of grey acceptance

The fundamental idea seems viable, but who would do it? What does it buy the person paying for it and running the operation?

Street gangs or street pimps? The cost of doing the cyber is pretty high and it's been pretty conclusively proven that it's perfectly possible to convince a girl or young woman to sell herself on the street and give all the money to you without any of that. And the overhead of a kidnapped or otherwise coerced 14-18 year old is pretty low. So it doesn't make any sense for them.

Organized crime can afford the up-front cost, but again, why bother if you are using enslaved girls? You can pretty much get them to do whatever you want without that. And organized crime makes pretty good money from normal voluntary prostitution without kidnapping and similar issues that would tend to get people all wound up.

The key to it is the personafix

It's the customizable nature of the fun.

Much like if you offer a person a ice cream cone and then make it for them without asking what kind they want... sometimes they get one they like, most of the time probably not. But when you let them pick the ice cream flavor, then they will pay more for the choice.

Kinda like how you want the option package even if it costs more when buying something.

As for the overhead, the cost is high upfront. But they can make the body look like anyone (remember you ain't paying for Jane Doe, yer paying to do things to such and such star... with a personality to match if you want to pay extra for damaging the goods in a rape fantasy or snuff fantasy), it's the selling of a physical fantasy really.

If you can offer a smuck off the street the chance to say force a popular pop starlet to do things they can't write about in /dir/sicksex he'll pay a hefty price (the 50/hr strikes me as simple pick a personality type deal such as slut, virgin, relucatant, submissive, dominant) where when it comes to the shaped/special ones you can see maybe getting 500/hr+ off them.

But one of the keys is the datafilter, it gives the client the knowledge that the meat will not remember them or what they do... it's like the internet. It's the anonymity in a way, they are an unknown to the meat and can use it as they please (if the wife/gf doesn't like something.. they meat will not complain) with the bonus of if they see them on the street.. the meat will not know them.

I think as terrifying it is, like a lot of things people are willing to override their values if their down on their luck or they just need cash like Wakshaani said


I think that would be how the average person would be convinced after a while you just wanna take the easy way. Althrough I imagine the majority of nonlegal parlors would just kidnap someone cyber and equip them up and now you have a permanent work who will work for free (or else) at least in the crime parlors. Not sure how much corps would be into those things.

Anyways when I was reading this thread I was imagining a team of runners are trying to trailing someone the johnson want thems to follow. He goes to a buneraku parlor, the runners walk in everything looks normals, suddenly all the beneraku suddenly freeze for a moment. Then these beneraku suddenly have a new persona uploaded, to kill everything along with a active soft brawling uploaded. Suddenly the go from fetish fufillers to basically zombies and start trying to kill the runners while the hacker that they were suppose to follow gets away. Fetish Prostitute killer zombies. I guess that would be a turn on for some.

Yeah, the personafix is one of the key aspects - not only does it let you pick a personality that fits your fantasies, but for the duration, it is genuine. The performer really is a slut, shy but eager virgin, or whatever other personality you have picked. A regular call girl can be a great actor, or know how to give a John the whole "girlfriend experience", but in the end, both of them know that she is having sex with the John because she is being paid for it, not because she really wants to, or is truly attracted to the customer.

The datafilter is the other attraction. Someone once said, you don't pay a prostitute for sex, you pay them to go away afterwards. This takes it one step further. After you get what you paid for, they are literally gone - they don't even have the memory of what has happened. In Burning Chrome (a Gibson short story), I think it is explained as someone wanting to be with someone, and be alone, at the same time, something that a bunraku parlor can deliver like few other venues.

Yeah, there're all sorts of different 'genres' to the thing. Most are legit (Or, well, as legit as prostitution gets in area laws), some use imported labor (Phillipino were popular for Yakuza rings when they still held the islands, for instance, while teh Triads get Chinese and the Vory snag Russian/Eastern European sorts), while others use a higher quality of professional, possibly going so far as to sculpt for trends (Your Nadia Davar/Gary Cline/Christy Daee types) ... there's also a market, albeit an odd one, for 'Stepfords' ... people that you don't rent by the hour, but instead scoop up for weeks/months/years at a time. This role is largely filled with animatroincs of course, since prostitution is one thing, but slavery is quite another. Then again, Aztechnology's drug lords may well make chipping standard issue for their narco-harems, to make sure everyone stays on a short leash. Unchipping someone who's missed five years of their life can't be easy.

You can't actually have a relationship with someone who never remembers anything. On any level. Every day you will have the same conversation, tell them to do the same thing.

I think it all depends one their connection to the world. If they have family and friends, then hell yes. Especially if they don't get weekends/holidays/whatnot. But person who has nothing to lose would just need a primer on new technology.

Here is a thought. What about prisoners? Do the same thing but instead of Love Slave 1.8 you fill them with Pipe Fitter 1.2.

http://boingboing.net/2011/03/03/innocent-man-serves.html

Good point. Dude seems excited about all the new things.

And the issue of innocent people being sentenced and used as love dolls? Especially as "Short Eyes". Which brings in the Cyber-Pedos, but that should be another thread. (An asbestos one as it's likely to get hot.).

As for the culture of Bunraku Parlors, it probably varies from place to place just like traditional prostitution does. Some things are the same, but how out in the open, how concealed, how perverse it's seen... All varies greatly.

And in none of these posts did I see mention of nanopaste disguises in conjunction with the persona chip, nor FalseFront with Mimic option. Though I imagine those would be the real high end bunraku palors aimed at a different economic class of clientele. Or that fiberoptic hair for just the right hair color and style.

2000 Nuyen (or more I suppose), and you get an hour with Maria Mercurial in her prime would certainly appeal to a number of Johns, especially if the puppet also has a voice modulator that lets her sing like Maria Mercurial as well.

It's entirely possible with all the various toys to make the puppet girl look, act, sound, and etc just like the real thing.

Just a creey feeling thought.

Cordially,

Eric

Creepy, yes. But better having potential stalkers pay a few hundred/thousand nuyen than going after the real thing...

Of course, it could just be encouraging them as well.

All-in-all, it's just a different form of abuse for a pimp to use to "break" members of his/her stable.

That does also cover the idea earlier about people looking at you a little too long after you've "retired".

"Understand that there may be alterations to your appearance so feel free, within limitation, to adjust your 'base image'."

Of course there are the DocWagon and those with the resources to get the starter dna that alter the DNA of said individuals enough to prevent links... and provide force grown clones using personafix if you really want to get expensive and the real deal...

Why am I reminded of the latest episode of "Sons of Anarchy" with the Mayor getting pwn'd?

For the really high-end Bunraku doll, take a social adept with all the necessary powers to re-create any appearance; put in the necessary 'wares, and you can easily shift to the latest trends as well as the unique desires of the individual customer...

Makes me think of Mystique trying to seduce Wolverine.