Hedonics
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Hedonics |
One of the most defining features of galactic civilization has been maximization of pleasure. Whereas some smaller polities away from the main archailect-ruled empires may enforce tired old puritanical restrictions, for most of the galaxy optimal pleasure is considered a virtue.
Those sciences and technologies that are dedicated to art of pleasure are known as hedonics (various subdisciplines being erotogenics, erotocratic science, tantrayogics, hedonipharmicology, nanohedonics, and countless others). Hedonics can be as basic as simple animal coupling (always popular among near-baselines, splices, and other organic clades) or as abstract as sharing mathematical pornography, or endorphin cultivation through bionano-mediated neotaoist alchemics.
One of the most common applications of symbionics is the experience of seamless virched and virch/rl alternate realities, including a new infinite diversity of altered states and innovative perceptions and experiences. These may include mystical or ecstatic experiences of sublime or transcendental states of being, merging with other minds, and with higher toposophic entities or collectivities. While this may be undertaken for the purpose of spiritual development and the mystic quest, or the acquisition of knowledge for its own sake, most often it is for the purpose of enhanced or novel pleasurable experiences. Erotogenic, Biotantric (using bioborg wetware dni) and Technotantric states are all pursued, including sex or hedonic spirituality with minds of higher toposophic levels than ones own, or with neogenic dedicated erotogens created by such Minds for the enjoyment of sapients.
Of all the billions of neogenic species that have been created by terragen mindkind, a decent proportion are for the purpose of giving pleasure to other beings, or even to themselves or each other. The Erotogini or Erotogeni (sometimes called "touchies" "feelies" "shapies" or "moldies") are among the earliest of these, dating from the early interplanetary period, and over the centuries and millennia gave rise to so many daughter clades as to become a superclade in their own right. Many other species and clades have been created since, some using Erotogine templates and genomes, others completely novel. There are polities today, such as the Houses of Pleasure [Fantail Orbitals, Chios, Zoeific Biopolity] and the Hentai Orwoods [Jaysen, nominal NoCoZo] that have acquired tremendous wealth and prestige through the marketing of pleasure biont templates.
With the generation of new technologies, new ways to abuse them were bound to happen. Shortly before the nanodisaster, urban myth indicates the first of what became called 'Nanoveau hallucinogens' became available. This blood-borne paste (i.e. - non-reproductive nanogen) became a very popular 'party drug' in the vein (pun intended) of LSD and Ecstasy.
The first nanoveau hallucinogen that we have significant records of appears to have been capable of accessing a human's blood stream via skin contact (leaving behind a telltale rash of microscopic lesions which lead to the particular strain's street name, 'Red Rush') and congregating inside the intracranial blood barrier. It apparently (no samples from the time still exist, but as indicated by autopsy & toxicology reports and extrapolations from other data) was able to zero in on activity in the optical center of the brain. After a brief (approx 5 minute from arrival) 'learn' period, it would pseudorandomly replay neural signals for the neuron it chose. In some beings, this cause catastrophic seizures, but in most it provided a 'cool' partial-perceptive replay of previous input. i.e. - a stop sign might be perceived as a red color on a later object, or an octagonal shape, or having white lettering across the middle, etc.
The more modern versions tend to have onboard databanks of 'artistic' sensory impressions, everything from the bliss-inducing 'White Cloud' to the adrenal-stimulating shock-tactic imagery of 'Splash' to the erotic 'T&A' series of nanoveau hallucinogens.
I think that "down" (like us) will eventually be considered a utility function of the brain: a good servant but a bad master. And a wide variety of "highs" will be in regular use, as appropriate for learning, social intercourse and inward exploration. The brain has its own alphabet, and we're all in the pre-literate era.
Jonno Burns (Information Age futurologist ESY34)
Happiness, Deepjoy, Soma (Various)
~
Promotes a feeling of well-being.
Asomnia (aka Neorexin )
~
Removes the necessity for sleep.
Daydream (aka Oeneirin)
~
Provides
dreamlike experiences during waking periods.
Lucy, Lucidity (various)
~
Permits lucid, controlled dreaming.
Dragonsblood (aka Rhombinol)
~ Allows
regression to atavistic, primitive states of mind
Hyper, Wings, Berserk (various) ~
Adrenaline analogues,
speeding up reactions, dulling pain.
Kamerad, Sowf, Marra. (Various)
~ Promotes
empathy,
community and so called `substance of we feeling'.
Alpha, Boost (Nanoxetine, various)
~
Increases confidence and improves self image.
Mono, Focus, Grok, (various)
~
Increases the ability to concentrate on a subject.
Haze, Fadeout (Kanabinol, various) ~
Promotes unfocused free
association and synaesthesia.
Pop, Kapow, Bonus (various nano) ~
Recognises and rewards
certain types of behaviour with drug induced ecstasy.
Various neural (particularly the spinal reflex shunt) or physical accessories have made hedonic sex a very different experience from the primitive baseline act, but certain high-tech plagues such as <Love Goo> have sometimes caused immunological problems.
For posthumans of certain societies being a nanocyborg opens up all sorts of possibilities for sexual pleasure, not available to entities who occupy more"invariable" forms. A couple of posthumans of any combination of the available sexes might choose to adopt nanocyborg bodies, or incorporate bionanotech which allows em to consciously shape and resculpt eir bodies entirely at will. Let's just assume for now that the couple's feelings for each other are not diminished, or changed for the worse, by eir breaking through a toposophic barrier.
With eir new polymorphic capabilities, ey can effortlessly craft fully functioning genitalia (both female and male, and not necessarily restricted to just one species) anywhere, out of any part of eir bodies, and give each other pleasure every which way imaginable. This gives new meaning to the term "multiple orgasms." With each set of genitalia, one can experience orgasm separately, limited only by the number one can form, and one's capacity for ecstasy. Separate nanocyborgs can merge with each other and repeatedly reform differently, experiencing orgasm in every cell-sized unit of eir polymorphic bodies.
The everyday use of hedonistic technology and pharmacology (pharm) can cause problems in a social context, where it has become useful for people using the same types of pharm or hedonic tech to be able to identify each other, or for non users to be aware of their states of mind. It became fashionable early on to wear masks and costumes, like the Comedia del Arte or Mardi Gras of Old Earth, to indicate at first sight what mode of consciousness the revellers were in.. (Anything but having to explain where eir head is at.)
Other solutions include illuminated or message bearing jewelry or tattoos (see Clade Scrabo Prior), or moodomorphic clothing which was capable of changing into a fantastic but specific display mode when hedonics were being utilised. Moodomorphism was eventually extended to actually morph the whole body of the hedonics user (using genetic tweaking or bionano augments). Thus the various nearbaseline human species began to approach the flamboyant displays of birds.
While the Dominion, the Biopolity and the TRHN are all for moodomorphics, stricter and more puritanical Negentropist elements see it as an appallingly wasteful way of subliminal/non-vocal communication.
Narco-Symbiont - Any small gengineered life form, which affixes itself to a subject's body, and supplies em with small, regular amounts of endorphins or some other pleasure-inducing substance
Virtual Drugs - the simulation of the effects of drug use experienced via direct neural interface (or by virtual entities)
