den Kiez
DEN KIEZ
What's the first thing that comes to mind as a Quiddje when you think of Hamburg? The Black Flood, the HSV (German Football Association) – but definitely the Reeperbahn! This street and the surrounding rows of houses form the Kiez, the red-light district and entertainment district, constantly suspended between luxury and squalor, tourism and work, crime and handshake agreements. During the day, it's almost impossible to move around undisturbed; the AR windows and advertising banners are too bright and intrusive, and the bouncers of the already open clubs and brothels are too annoying. But in the evenings and on weekends, when hordes of partygoers and tourists descend on the district, you're literally overwhelmed by the advertising.
> Get a filter! Otherwise, you'll be lost in the show calendars, drink menus, table dance clips, and "Tits Here" signs. There are some clever thieves who take advantage of the distraction to hack tourists' commlinks and either steal information or lead their victims down a dark alley and rob them there in a completely analog way.
> Pirapit
Here you'll find trendy clubs and discos next to concert halls and theaters, interspersed with dirty strip clubs, shady massage parlors, and brothels of every taste. Cheap snack bars and elite restaurants compete equally for customers – right next to each other. And prostitutes and drug dealers are on hand on the streets. All of this together forms the unique mix of the Reeperbahn.
The city, of course, has a slightly different perspective on the whole. I have the official advertising copy for you here:
[HanseNetz Tourism] The Reeperbahn captivates hordes of tourists every year. No visit to Hamburg is truly complete without at least smelling the air of this sinful mile.
> The harbor is just a few minutes' walk away. So much for the smell.
> Sunset
The former outcast district outside the city gates is now both a red-light district and an entertainment mile. The main street, the true Reeperbahn, offers entertainment for the whole family with its famous musicals and countless theaters. Always with a tongue-in-cheek flair of the wicked – exactly what is often missing from a good vacation. Many shows are sold out long before they start, so it's a good idea to reserve tickets before you arrive.
The evenings and nights are dominated by dance clubs and trendy bars, where all kinds of music are played. Most of them are located on the Grosse Freiheit – a street, but there is also an event hall of the same name. International stars and those aspiring to become stars regularly perform in the various venues, captivating visitors from near and far. This is multiculturalism instead of uniformity!
Most of the surrounding streets form the red-light district. Those feeling brave can take a look at Herbertstrasse, where "loose women" offer their services. But be careful: Traditionally, only men are allowed there!
Directly opposite has always stood the Davidwache, the most famous police station of the ADL. Many films and series have been and are being filmed here. The HanSec officers have a lot of work to do, so you shouldn't keep them even more busy by asking for photos. Most of the popular tours through the district start right outside the door. There are different themes, for different age groups, and on weekends, even with a human guide (depending on the theme, even in costume). [Data upload completed]
> In summary: There's partying, and so is theater. Tourists, of course. They at least touched on the sex. Not mentioned: the drugs, the crime, the open street battles, police raids, and demonstrations.
> Labskaus
(MOSTLY) NAKED FACTS
The Reeperbahn and its surroundings have long been known for their sex offerings. Real prostitutes still stand on the streets in the evenings or sit in the shop windows of Herbertstraße. Tourists and clients stare at the "goods," study AR offers, clarify the prices and any additional requests. The range is wide – most of these whores are still women, but everything else – every skin color, every metatype, every specialty, and every desired amount of cyberware – is available for the right price.
> Natural is out. The only money to be made at the moment is with horses, who have skin like the armchairs at Schmidts: velvety, pink, supple – and with regularly ironed signs of wear. What a cost to maintain! A small business like mine can only compete with the big bosses with a lot of skill, who run the business like a squeezed cash cow, with their own processing labs, regular supplies, and a conservative mindset. Just mass production, no class, and certainly no innovation.
> Global Player
> Asshole.
> MorgaineX
> What? I'm just saying that in the whole conformist sex business in the neighborhood, there's hardly any room left for loving, traditional goods, and no one is doing the work to lead the business into the next century. Vory and Likedeeler have divided things up nicely and then rested on their laurels. Loads of prostitutes shipped in and ready to start deteriorating, who are neither willing nor able to give their customers a good time. And it doesn't matter if they work as prostitutes, in a brothel somewhere, or as special delivery people on house calls. The triads have at least stimulated competition somewhat. Quality is slowly improving again.
> Global Player
Small and large brothels, massage parlors, and escort services line the streets of the neighborhood. Currently, the largest brothel is the Eroscenter, with its countless small rooms, apartments, and playrooms. This is genuine mass production! Most of the smaller establishments, however, operate in much the same way; some offer special conditions (for example, if you agree to have your photo taken and used) or flat-rate prices.
Those who want something more left of the dial also have plenty of choice. Things are much rougher in the streets south of the Reeperbahn. In the Lust-Dungeon or the long-established Black Velvet, men and women can find a dominatrix or a submissive slave, stimulating shows, or party nights.
> Party nights, oh, that brings back memories. We went to a knotting show. And we were supposed to... pick someone up there. I think it would have been noticed much more if he had gone along voluntarily.
> Labskaus
Pop-up studios and small shops rely more on word-of-mouth advertising than on large-scale outdoor advertising. However, the competition is manageable in most cases. If the operator doesn't already belong to one of the criminal organizations, then at least one of them will pay a substantial bonus to be left alone.
> Generally speaking, the more exotic the provider, the more secretive the provider of desires. SM stuff may not be mainstream, but it's significantly easier to advertise than, for example, offerings involving animals, dead bodies, or certain magical additives. Raids by the Davidwache police are commonplace, but they rarely hit the truly problematic businesses. Bribes in the right place help.
> Phalle
> I think I'm going to be sick.
> MorgaineX
The higher-priced sector is firmly in the hands of the syndicates and is currently highly competitive. This includes not only the run-of-the-mill high-class prostitutes, but also the entire Bunraku and Persona sector. In other words: You get exactly what you want, no questions asked, no unwanted resistance, and as few people as possible find out about it afterwards. Meat puppets.
> The cheap option, if "cheap" even exists in this area, is made up of puppets and androids. Easy to customize, programming is OK, and no demands are made. Apart from the necessary maintenance. And yes, in dim light, that can seem more real than you think. It's not usually about conversation.
> Phalle
Since the Triads fought their way into the red-light district by taking over Rangachari's businesses, they seem particularly committed to this area. Surgically tailored girls, either according to their own wishes or as imitations, are the focus here. And with the appropriate brainwashing, magical, technical, or whatever, they become a blank slate and programmable.
> Is anyone even willing to undergo something like this? In my opinion, these offers are all supported by human trafficking, slavery, and torture.
> Sunset
> I've seen consent forms before.
> Phalle
> I've forged consent forms before.
> Betonmade
> It's purely business and completely protected. The bigwigs like it! So it's just supply and demand that regulates it. Most of the dolls are better off working like this anyway than ending up in the gutter. After all, they're taken care of, their bills are paid—a completely carefree life. That's the future!
> Global Player
> Could it be that your dedicated promotion of these services stems from the fact that you've been playing on the Triad side for some time? Trading your old, dingy club for a new one so quickly, suddenly acting like a bon vivant—do you think something like that doesn't attract attention?
> Phalle
And now it gets strange: Real Bunrakus are more likely to be found outside the Reeperbahn in Ahrensburg. But of course, you can find them here too. They were usually bought for a lot of money from the Japanese, who formed them together with the Dutch penos. A very dirty joint project, held together only by money.
Roughly related to the topic, although not always actual prostitution, is the whole area of real porn. And yes, it's booming in the neighborhood like nowhere else in the most beautiful city in the world. The focus, and especially popular, is quickies with strangers in unusual places: discogoers in the men's restroom, on the roof terrace of the Dancing Towers with a supposed bartender—that sort of thing. Some businesses have already jumped on the bandwagon and offer interesting spaces with recording options for the willing couple. Or threesome. Or whatever.
> There's an app that takes care of most of it. And with the right interface or widespread implants like cybereyes, you can record yourself without being recognizably in the frame. At least if you're careful of overly reflective surfaces. Afterwards, simply upload the video via the app, and you're done. Depending on the provider, you even get paid for it. Either for the act of making it available or per click, like, or however you choose. But only the person who uploads the video gets paid. And since there are usually several people involved, that can lead to problems.
> Labskaus
> Not really. There are now contracts that cover exactly this kind of thing. Just get it accepted before sex, and that's it.
I've heard.
> Sunset
> I don't imagine it's that easy. But I see it as a good business model that offers work for shadowrunners.
> Deichbrecher
WHO CAN PAY THE PRICE
Besides sex, you can find everything you want on the Reeperbahn for enough money. Especially drugs, of course. The partygoers need something to dance the night away, the addicts lurk in the corners among all the sleazy and glittery crowds and want their harder stuff. Half the people who work here are addicted to something in one way or another anyway.
Strong alcohol is available even at the sausage stand, and some casinos are located directly on the Reeperbahn.
> The casinos are more like cheap gambling halls. Anyone who still thinks halfway of themselves satisfies their gambling addiction elsewhere.
> Phalle
Until recently, drug trafficking was limited to the north side of the Reeperbahn and the Große Freiheit, as an unwritten law, so to speak. Now these barriers have fallen. Anyone who knows what to look for will find every drug currently available on the market here.
> The market has been thrown into turmoil by the emergence of the Triads. They sell truly powerful things here that you used to have to search for in Moorfleet or Harburg: Eros, Scarlett Bliss, and all sorts of chemicals. Needless to say, this is a thorn in the side of many people.
> Pirapit
> "A thorn in the side" is a bit of an understatement. The Likedeelers, especially the Vory, are taking massive action against the Triads. Skulls are being smashed, whores are being kidnapped, matrix nodes are being sabotaged, and gangs are being set against each other. And if the Likedeelers and Vory weren't stepping on each other's toes, they would probably be more successful.
> Brig
Another commodity is information. Anyone who knows who to ask, how, and for what purpose will find more answers here than anywhere else in the city. Unfortunately, the intricate web of contacts and current trench warfare easily leads to rash questions in the wrong place having serious consequences. Nevertheless, it's still true that the Reeperbahn loosens the tongues of many visitors. And what happens and is said on the Reeperbahn doesn't stay there.
There are also legitimate shopping options. Various small and large shops offer everything you can imagine in terms of sex toys, fetish paraphernalia, and related clothing. In between, small specialty stores make a surprisingly good living: tourist rip-offs, trendy clothes, gothic supplies, musical instruments...
> I'm just saying He-She-It. The store for transvestite gear. Troll-sized high heels, breasts of every size, and matching show gear. Tourists line up just to look.
> Betonmade
> North of Seilerstraße, there are a few body shops that make the stuff at He-She-It superfluous. And if you're into that, you won't get the standard shape, but rather the chrome tits with spikes and lighting. And you'll get your money's worth, too, and can choose the material, size, firmness—basically everything you could dream of. Once you've been there, you'll never want to be without it again.
> Alien Queen
> Exactly, all the body shops are missing from this list! The entire cyberfetish scene has relocated its technicians to the neighborhood, not only to its clubs. Whatever you want to have installed, you'll find it here. At least when it comes to looks. After all, it's not what's inside that counts. Other, hidden back-alley body shops run by the syndicates only dress up the prostitutes.
> Phalle
OF PIMPS AND MAFIA BOSSES
Until a few years ago, the western part of the neighborhood was under the influence of the Vory, while large parts of the eastern part belonged to the Likedeelers – and the Mad Aces. There were always minor problems and deadlocked pit fights, but everyone adhered to the agreement to keep hard drugs, weapons, and serious crime out of the neighborhood. This even left a little leeway for "free entrepreneurs," who, of course, had to pay their dues. Things were getting difficult with the Dutch, and everyone was just waiting for the big bang. But now the Triads are here, and things are happening – at least beneath the surface and so far only in many small explosions.
> The Triads are taking a tough approach and stirring up the neighborhood. For example, there are several reports that party drugs officially sold by the Vory have been laced with woad. And you can imagine what it means when a quarter of a lively techno party suddenly takes something like that: chaos, devastation, street brawls. There have even been a few deaths, but no tourists. The HanSec is still more than angry and, of course, tars all syndicates with the same brush.
> Phalle
This heated situation is increasingly attracting the attention of the authorities and the HanSec. What goes on behind closed doors hardly interests them. But as soon as tourists are affected, they raise the alarm. The actually comprehensive surveillance, at least of the major streets, has been updated, and units are patrolling the neighborhood more and more frequently.
Traditionally, various gangs worked on the mile, taking on the menial work for the syndicates, from bouncers to protection rackets – especially the Mad Aces of the Likedeeler and the Hel-Rider, associated with the Vory, made their presence felt. They were an additional guarantor of the safety of the (wealthy) visitors and ensured peace in their sections, without HanSec having to intervene. Currently, the catchment areas of these groups partially overlap, businesses are switching sides, either by force or voluntarily, and freelance crooks are trying to make their fortunes as happy third parties.
> Only, it's not just two fighting, but four. If you add in all the gangs and groups outsourced by the syndicates, we're at twelve to fourteen.
> Deckard
> The matter isn't made any easier by the fact that the Hel-Riders work for the Vory but have never sworn a true oath of loyalty. They also act in their own interests. This explains why the Vory are increasingly intervening directly in the neighborhood. This doesn't make the Hel-Riders, the Mad Aces, or the Triads happy.
> Labskaus
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