http://www.questionablecontent.net/view.php?comic=3038

always nice to be a fashion statement.

Septum piercings. Not even once.

I've never seen someone more attractive with one. They're disgusting, not "cool."

But the comic is funny at least.

I can not say whether they can improve one's appearance, i have a few friends who have them and in my mind it didn't do much for or against their appearance. Course their's were nowhere near as big as Neraph's example.

But having worked in a bar I do say they can be a liability in a scuffle, especially when they have a chain linked to it.

Saw one guy have his yanked right out by an angry ex right on the dance floor.

Mine was hyperbole, to be sure.

But yeah, this is why I have zero piercings. I've been a martial artist for 22 years now. Piercings are bad for keeping your body in one piece in a fight.

Daang Neraph, I used to think you were cool

What's a cyberpunk setting without gratitous piercings?

Smart! Less to get caught, hung on something, ripped out of you skin causing bleeding and pain.

But then again.....

Some of the people I've known wouldn't mind the pain more so be pissed about the loss of the hole(s)

Funny, I have that same comic pic on my phone.

Because it's more expensive right now to repair holes in your body than it will be in 60 years. I was talking about the meat that I personally own, not that my characters have.

EDIT: I'm also currently in the military, and as a rule males are not allowed to have any piercings at all, whatsoever. I also plan on going officer in the next year or two, so that means I can't have any tattoos either. Right now my body is clean and smooth, and I intend to keep it factory-fresh.

That's also not counting how ridiculous the tattoo rules have gotten. I think it's actually slightly worst for Marines then for Navy but I can be mistaken.

I don't have either.

When I was in the Corps, at least for grunts, Tattoo rules were not overly onerous. I have heard they became harsher after I got out. Gladly, I have no permanent reminders of said service.

Urm... They can't be so large that your hand can't cover them up (generally), and they cannot be seen in PT gear (generally). Absolutely nothing from the elbows down, or neck up. There's talk that sleeves are coming back with our new Commandant, but we've heard that for the last three or four Commandants.

Sleeves???
I'm waiting to see if they ever actually issue you guys foul weather gear.

Wow - I had many guys in my unit (Late 80's) that would not fit under those rules. Semper Fi.

We had foul weather gear... from the Korean War, perhaps, but we did have it.

What do we need that for when we have so much hate and discontent?

I've seen hate and discontent with ice forming on their noses while they shiver.

Actually we've got the new Frog gear that's reportedly really, really freaking good. I haven't had the opportunity to wear any, but then again I'm also in Texas. We're pretty close to the furthest you need to go to avoid cold weather.

Bet that it is better than the Korean War Era crap I had... Can't really complain about it though, it did keep me warm. Even in Korea the two times I was there.

You didn't really catch my drift. Whenever we're talking about actual counterculture here on DS, people are always on about how piercings, weird fashions, underground music etc. is "disgusting" or they "disapprove".

It's not my place to say who can or cannot share my hobby with me, but I feel as though being a so conservatively minded would make you miss out on a lot of the fun Shadowrun (and life in general) offers.

No offense to you in particular, I just don't understand why people think playing a heavily-armed cyborg punk rocker could be cool if they think piercings are disgusting, it's kind of two sides of the same coin to me

Just because I personally choose not to get Tatted up and pierced top to bottom doesn't mean my characters doesn't have any
(I've been Navy for 15 years and I get the occasional look of surprise when I tell people that I don't have any Tattoos)

I do think some of the tattoos and piercings I've seen on people looks pretty cool and/or is awesome it's just something that's not for me and I accept that.

Where I get pissed off at people is when they think they can press their views on other people and try to force them to change over some kind of ideology

Maybe one day when I get my own house/5th wheel/trailer/whatever I end up living in I'll have a sign on the door
"BEWARE all who come to this door trying to bare witness or trying to sale something for I do 3-round bursts and generally don't miss and point blank range"
"Exception: Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts/Brownies/Girl Scouts are all welcome oh and trick-or-treaters too"

I specifically stated that septum piercings are disgusting, not that all piercings are. I then went on to say that any piercings in a fight are a liability.

I never said I disapprove of all piercings, or that weird fashions and underground music is disgusting.

Be careful with generalizations.

Also those pieces of metal can't be used as a ritual link to the poor slot they use to be in.

True, but the DNA on it can.

Unless sprayed with Ammonia, Bleach, or some other chemical that destroys tissue samples.

Sorry, that was what I was meaning.

Off topic, if you have a piece of cyber from a target (cyber eye, a finger that use to be part of the target's cyber hand, etc) can that be used as a material link?

I know in Street Magic (pg 28 & 29; SR4A rule set) they say it has to be an organic sample, but cyberware is purchased with Essence and therefore is part of the target. I was just wanting everybody's opinion.

It's a moot point, since forcibly removed cyberware will typically have some bits of flesh stuck to it.

True, but there would one big advantage... cyberware doesn't decay. It'll stay good for a long, Long, LONG time.

Also, I remembered something, pg 29 (Street Magic), symbolic links can use that septum piercing as a link to the target... especially if it was a favorite nose ring.

If you have forcibly removed cyberware from an individual then there should be some blood splatter or bullets with blood on them around the area (if the body isn't ling in a ditch nearby).

Who sprays all of their piercings down with chemicals when they're in a street brawl and the piercing happens to get torn out? Like, you just happen to carry a Windex bottle of bleach around at all times?

not as big an advantage as you might think. the tech to store living tissue for long periods of time is pretty readily available in the shadowrun setting and doesn't seem to be all that expensive, and a blood sample doesn't take up a lot of room.

ultimately, the real cost comes from the fact that successfully casting a ritual on an unwilling target that is worth the bother is likely to require a rather skilled mage, possibly several of them to perform the ritual. not from storing the ritual component.

Nobody would carry around a Windex bottle full of solution; a small 2oz spray bottle (like the ones for cleaning glasses) would be good for small blood splatters. If more is needed then that then the fight was way bigger and the runner probably have bigger problems then a few drops of blood.
Go watch Boondock Saints.

In Shadowrun? You bet my characters do that
Small spray bottles (just mentioned before) go a long way. I even developed some smart "screw up evidence" grenades for my current character, which he will build once the current adventure is done (provided we earn any money, it's one of those revenge trips).

On a side note, I had that SR5 rigger character concept who had a whole lot of piercings and earrings. I was thinking of storing micro sensors in most of those. Never statted it out, though. I may revamp that concept for my current SR4 rigger, though.
Of course, one of the things to be wary of is that the bits of metal implanted in your face are hard to grab in a fight. One does not affix handles to ones own head, after all.