Cybernetic Sex Toys

Cyberware, Bioware and Sex

Okay, so from reading "Who's doing What to Who" you've got a better picture of what sexuality is like in the world of Shadowrun. Now let's look at some of the practical applications of those attitudes, specifically the kinds of cyberware and bioware (ooh, toys!) that may have been created by 2050 or 2060.

I won't give specific Essence or nuyen costs for any of these gadgets, let alone specific brand names. I'll leave that up to you, the individual GM, so that if you chose to put these warez in your game you can alter them to better suit your own specific style of gaming. While me giving you hard numbers might be a bit easier, a bit of work on your part will make these concepts work that much better in your own game.

First of all, where might these naughty little gadgets be found? Considering that most of these items aren't lethal and have no direct combat utility, I can't imagine them really being outlawed. Some are probably even promoted by HMO's and the government as efficient alternatives to drug therapy or other surgical means. But, except perhaps in Beverly Hills/Hollywood down in CalFree, I can't imagine them advertising on billboards and taking out ad time on the trideo, although the recent ad campaign for Viagra featuring retired Senator Bob Dole has me rethinking that opinion.

In addition, I envisage most of these items to be heavily customized and are at least alpha grade cyberware, possibly even mandatory betagrade for certain things. Bioware is probably usually cultured also.

Contraception
Well, the first thing to think about is the prevention of unplanned pregnancies. One the male side, I can see mostly bioware. A cybernetic/bioware "shunt" that would reroute semen (or at least sperm) at ejaculation could be done; the shunted material would likely be disposed of by the body as it would any other waste material. As an alternative, a safe and non-toxic spermicide could be added to semen during/just prior to ejaculation that would kill the sperm, but leave nearly everything else outwardly identical. Probably not a fail-safe option however and would likely be cybernetic and would require at least occasional "recharging." Bioware glands could be installed that would secrete hormones that would render a person sterile (at least while installed) would be available to both men and women. Women could also have bioware that mimics modern birth control pills, but in a gentler and more natural fashion. On a more aggressive front, bioware could potentially be installed that would treat semen/sperm as an invading infection and would attack and destroy the sperm right in the uterus, preventing pregnancy that way.

I wouldn't recommend an Essence Cost much larger than .10 and a Body Cost of about .25, with nuyen costs running anywhere from 20,000 up to 100,000 or more for heavily personalized versions.

Ribbed, for Her Pleasure
Right now, some people will pierce their penis, clitoris, tongue and vagina all for the purpose of enhancing the sexual act. Unfortunately, there are a lot of side-affects to many of these procedures which eventually detract from pleasure later on. Such may not be the case in 2050 though.

I can see cybernetic penile enhancements of this sort; they could be activated by mental command and suddenly the penis would have extra girth or a wildly different surface texture, from ribbed to a "french tickler" to knobby to anything else really. Women might do similar things to their vaginas. Either sex could conceivably install actual vibrating units to their genitals, which would surely be an intense, but very odd, sensation for both partners.

These toys would probably have a higher Essence Cost, maybe as high as .5 and I'm not sure that Bioware could pull off these stunts. Cost would probably start at 50K and move up up up.

Enhancing What You've Got
Lots of folks might simply want to enhance what they have, just as they do today. Expect these procedures to become more common and much safer.

Breast augmentation should have finally reached the point where it is safe and is done with bioware, so that it feels natural for both parties.

Now that you've got larger breasts, you need a bra, right? Maybe not. Bras have begun hitting the market that use the same technology and knowledge gained from suspension bridges. These bras are supposed to provide unheard of support and comfort for the woman. What if this could be done using Shadowrun bioware? Perky, young looking breasts on a 50-yr old woman who never wears a bra, because she's had her bra implanted. Cyberware might also do the job, but would almost certainly not look or move quite as naturally as a bioware bra.

Penile enlargement, again using bioware, should be reasonably safe and without risk of impotence. Major enlargements may be difficult, but an extra inch or two should be easily enough done.

It's the Pleasure Stupid
Well, if Shadowrun technology can add wrinkles to the brain and widen neural pathways, why not apply that knowledge to sex? Pleasure receptors can probably be added to nearly anywhere, but would likely be most commonly added to the vaginal canal. Both the clitoris and the penis both have sufficient nerve endings there; sometimes too much. But the vaginal canal has relatively few. On the homosexual side of the coin, I see homosexual men using this procedure anally; there are relatively few pleasure receptors in the anal canal (and most anal orgasms come from prostate stimulation) so the addition of even a few nerve endings could dramatically change the sensation.

This is certainly a bioware enhancement. There are probably several levels of intensity, ranging from a mere improvement of about .2 Body Cost to better than what you were born with might cost .5 Body and higher. Cost would probably only be starting at 100,000.

The ability to control pleasure (feel none at all or mulitplied beyond natural) would be another option, likely cybernetic and would be an implant between the brain and the genitals. It would likely be a specialized variation on the Pain Editor that already exists. Body Cost would likely be less (.?) but would probably cost much more due to the selective and localized nature of the signals being blocked to the brain; 150K seems good to me.

The Money Shot
Impotence and premature ejaculation is a large concern for many men. Bioware and cyberware should be able to eliminate most of these problems in a variety of ways, from hormone supplementation, drug therapy, to even reconstructive surgery. Bioware and cyberware should be able to control the sensations (see above) and should be able to physically control ejaculation. While this would be quite popular, if not mandatory, for pornosim stars, it would certainly be of some popularity amongst normal citizens also. Women seem to complain that men can't last long enough to bring them to orgasm; with this implant, the man can keep going until she's satisfied, then let himself orgasm..

A variation on ASIST and the RAS cut-outs that simsense and decking use could probably also be used in some cases to similar affect. Probably wouldn't perform as well as more direct means, but would probably be cheaper and more common.

Another relatively small item, costing .1 Essence or Body and running 30,000 or more.

Lethal Weapons
This is where things can get a bit sick. The same technology that would allow for any of these items should also allow for cyberware that can inflict harm.

A "thorn" can be implanted that would be able to inject nearly anything into someone else; this thorn would be implanted in either the vagina or anus normally, but could also be implanted in a penis since this particular item would certainly have to be retractable. Along these same lines, needles could also be implanted for a similar affect. The thorn would probably the bioware version, the needles the cybernetic.

For the really bizarre, I'm sure a variation on the mouth implanted weapons from Cybertech could be adapted to the vaginal or anal openings. Okay, so firing a gun from your ass is of extremely limited utility not to mention extremely bizarre, but I fail to see any reason why it can't be done.

Any body cavity can also install cutters, scissors or other slicing/biting implements. Painful, but could be done. A variation on the Cyberpunk 2020 body snakes could also be implanted, again, in nearly any body cavity, though vaginal and anal probably allow for this procedure better than an oral implantation. These items would likely be rather heavy on the Essence Cost, since they really push the boundaries of what it is to be human, so I'd start at least at .5 Essence minimum and cost for these unique and bizarre items at 200,000 to start.

A full cybernetic penis, probably detachable much like detachable cyberfingers, could also be done. This bizarre piece of cyberware would probably be used more for combat utility, since bioware should have advanced to the point to construct a fully functional flesh penis by 2060. The cyberpenis could be a direct weapon, or could serve as a storage compartment. I'm sure it could also be used as a penile replacement, since it's always erect, but I think the fact that it's metal would cause it to be rather unpopular for the vast majority of men, who treasure their original equipment regardless of it's faults. I'd give this item an Essence Cost of somewhere above .5 and a nuyen cost of 100,000 or more.

In all these cases, feel free to modify Essence, Body and nuyen cost as you feel fit; they are only my suggestions. And of course, I'm sure there are other things that can be done, but these are the ones that I can think of as of this point in time.

Now that you've seen the attitudes and the cyberware, let's wander on over to some adventures built around these themes and toys.