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This is exactly why I didn't read the rest of the thread in the first place. I'm sure you all had some very intelligent things to say, but I just couldn't be arsed. XD

Giving up video games is a bold decision. Don't think I'd have the guts to do it. I hope you made the right choice.

Of course not. If something important had been said I'm sure they'd repeat themselves to make me reconsider.

It's a blatant generalisation, but I don't care. At all. I can't begin to count the amount of times I've heard Christians say "But the Bible shouildn't be taken literally" whenever an outrageous event is described that obviously didn't happen by the letter. Makes me wonder why they take anything in the big book literally, up to and including the existence of God himself. If an ever increasing percentage of your beloved book is found out to have been a hyperbole of epic proportions, it's high time to question the reliability of the rest. Sometimes, making generalisations is the smart thing to do.

*reads title*
Wait a minute, didn't we establish in another thread that God isn't real? Or have we not gotten to that point yet?

I'd like religion a whole lot better if it didn't stick its nose where it no longer belongs, i.e. in the explanation of natural phenomena (such as the origin of all things).

You called?

I remember that. The ska thing, I mean.

Anyway, I vote for Catch the Rain, with Repliku being a close second.

For a moment there I was considering to leave it at that, since you thought it looked wrapped up. But no, there is more to the story than that. In fact, we're not even halfway through. It starts off slowly, but stuff will happen. By the way, I am seriously struggling with this new format who thinks it knows how to organize text better than I do.

===

“I was just thinking...”, I mumbled, trying to catch Rei’s attention through the PSA.
“Huh?”
“I was just thinking... The technology in this place never ceases to amaze me. I mean, it shouldn’t even be in a place like this, or at least not almost exclusively. Don’t you feel the same way?”, I pondered. I was certain it had at least crossed her mind.
“I don’t know.”, she replied awkwardly. “I mean, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but after a while I just...accepted it. It would sound crazy to anyone who hasn’t seen it with their own eyes, but there are an infinite amount of unlikely events so a select few of them have to happen right? Besides, there are plenty of other things to be amazed at in Cyberia; no use frying your brain over something you’ll probably never know anyway, is it?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right...”, I admitted.
“And hey, you should see what they keep in the Interface. I’d wager it’s a gadgeteer’s wet dream to just sneak a peak in there.”, Rei joked. I brightened instantly.
“I’ll find out soon enough, won’t I? Veterans with 50 prescriptions or more are allowed try their **** in the Interface now. I don’t know about you but I’m gonna take my chances this night or the next.”
Rei suddenly whirled over to look me in the eyes.
“You don’t say? “, she gasped. “Vance is giving up his haegmonia at the turntables then?”
“I think he got a second job or something. Either way, the rule has been in power for a while now. I think Ransack has even claimed the right already.”
Rei’s gaze hardened.
“What? How did we not notice this?”
“If I were to take a guess, I think he just played what Vance chewed and regurgitated for him. I doubt that there was any contribution on his part. That’s Marcus Ransack for ya. Not my style though: I’ll at least squeeze in a few underrated gems.”
Rei concurred with a nod. We ordered our first Wealth & Tastes and got the show on the road.

After two unexpectedly delicious glasses of one of Rei’s masterpieces (amaretto, honey and ground silver...who knew?), I shuffled over to the bar. Wealth & Taste was all fine and dandy but I did hope to order my own winning combination sometime tonight. There was that, and something else I wanted to discuss.
“Yo, J.J.!”, I shouted. After pouring and serving two or three more drinks he turned around to meet me. I immediately noticed another feature of him that always struck me as odd: his age. To me he looked about 23, while Rei was positive that he was in his early thirties. A mystery even on the most basic level. Heck, we don’t even know what J.J. stands for.
“What’s up, Styx? Ain’t Paracelsus with you?”, he greeted. He used our code names, which we all have and are free to change at any time. It’s all part of the air of secrecy and privacy Cyberia is supposed to have, what other reason could their be? J.J. apparently loves to be discreet as much as he loves discretion to be used around him.
Paracelsus is Rei’s nickname, knowing full well that the real one was a dude. She thinks of herself as an alchemist, devising new compounds and mixtures for others to enjoy. She has a point, even though the word looks so dated nowadays. As do many.
“She’s over there on the dance floor. Hey J.J., is there any chance that I can have a go at the Interface turntables tonight?”, I boldly asked.
“I think you just might. Let me check...”
He twisted a knob on his PSA, probably tuning in to Vance’s specific frequency. Only Cyberia’s regular DJ has that frequency. Ravers can use the same frequency to request tracks.
“He wants to finish this set, which will last for about two more hours. You okay with that?”
“Sure thing.”, I forced myself to say, barely containing my patience. “Did you say who wants to relieve him though? That way I can just ask him directly instead of having to bother you again.”, I suggested. J.J. gave me thumbs up to indicate that all was taken care of.
“Thanks a lot. I’ll have a No Boundaries and another Wealth & Taste!”, I ordered. I showed the prescriptions on my card and paid up. A boyish dream was close to being fulfilled: this demanded a few more drinks to steel the nerves.

“Can you fix a prescription for me?”, Rei shouted. She didn’t like turning on her PSA when a song she liked played. I played along, knowing it wouldn’t bother anyone.
“Sure!”, I bellowed back at her. “Which one would you like?”
“The Strangulation one! Oh, I do hope you have it!”
I vaguely remembered choosing that one a while ago when I had enough cred to pick a new one. It took me a while to find it, scrolling through a bunch of other prescriptions, some of which I hadn’t used in a year.
“There ya go!”
“Thanks!”, Rei yelled gratefully. “I’ll go transfer it now! Want something in return though?”
I couldn’t refuse the offer, so I asked her if I could check her prescription card to see if there was something to my liking.
“This one!”, I pointed out. “The Lonely Blue Planet!”
A grin slid across Rei’s face.
“You sure?”, she teased. “I never quite liked it, it was too soft for me! You might as well order lemonade!”
“No, I’m sure. I have access to the Interface in a little over an hour! Don’t want to run the risk of puking on some of the state-of-the-art gizmos in there! You’re free to come along if you like, provided you refrain from expelling body fluids as well!”
Rei’s contagious grin infected me as well when I spoke that last sentence (at the top of my lungs), and she nodded gleefully.
“Sounds good to me!”

It’s a simple but brilliant system really. Each prescription represents a cocktail you can drink. Newbies start with only two, but if they keep coming back (assuming they’re on the level), they get a permanent prescription card and can collect many more prescriptions the more often they visit Cyberia. Inventing new cocktails, cleaning up after closing time or introducing Vance to new tracks (nigh impossible given his savvy, but it has happened...I think) also increases the rate of acquiring them. If a good friend who you regularly order drinks with has another prescription, you can acquire that particular one more easily. Luxurious drinks with rare ingredients or pseudo-dangerous cocktails are harder to obtain prescriptions for.
I believe, at the risk of sounding poetic, that there is more to prescriptions than just a marketing strategy. Trading, inventing, recommending and earning prescriptions in Cyberia is infinitely more fulfilling with more people involved. It strengthens the bond of brotherhood, the feeling that you are part of a community. It’s a social network. With booze.
A good idea, in short, that nevertheless failed to breach Cyberia’s walls, much like anything regarding the phenomenon. Us regulars know better. Scaling up good ideas has been a recurring motif in history, and look where it got us...

Don't remember where that quote's from but your post reminded me of it.

Does she get captivated by lamps? Because there are tons of interesting things you can do with that knowledge.

If your "urges" mean you're scratching your own balls, don't worry. All guys do that to some extent.
Seriously though, you don't have to choose between men or women anyway, and you obviously care about your girlfriend, so it may not really be that much of an issue.

So about this God fellow...Is he real or what?

You guys would have to do some terrible things in order for karma to screw you over that badly though.

On a side note, I wonder how many people have ever took Japanese solely due to anime.

Where's the de-rep function when you need it?

...And?

Fact: married couples still face unwanted pregnancies. Did you think marriage provided a panacea? That'd be dumb.

Allow me just a few examples...
* My cousin bangs his girlfriend without being married. He makes money designing posters, flyers and banners for raves, festivals and websites (which look consistently slick imo). He is a DJ who headlines a local festival next month. He has a wider circle of friends than I can imagine. He's been picked for the national rugby team and is captain of his local team. In addition he coaches the girls' team. He's fluent in Dutch, French and English and can switch between the three in the blink of an eye.
* My ex-girlfriend has banged, well, me. She has recently obtained a Master Of Science's degree. She is the most selfless person I know, sacrificing what little free time she has to help out her mom. She constantly looks to improve herself and I would bet my wallet and all its contents that her body is healthier than yours (especially since she enjoys hiking). She has an extensive knowledge of geography, meteorology, movies, and Latin. I learn something new from her every day.
*Ian Kilmister, a.k.a. Lemmy (bet you didn't see him coming) is the frontman of Motörhead (a band ranked 26th on VH1 Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock), and has had sex with over 2000 women, which he obviously didn't marry. He plays one mean bass and is revered, adored even, by fans and colleagues alike. He has been active for over 45 years. Fellow rockstars like Slash offer their seats to him. He had studied Economics to get his band out of poverty (which obviously worked) and is one of the most prominent monetary experts in the world of music. He has seen more of the world than the members here put together.

How do you compare to them, kid? Let's see what you've got.

I thought babies were born first? Oh right...

Tell me more about how you've seen enough of the world and life in general to have even the vaguest clue about that.

Honest question: do you pad the walls of your room with pillows? Because you wouldn't want to stub your toe, would you? That wouldn't be healthy.

Sex before marriage is acceptable and commendable in my opinion because sexual compatability yadda yadda yadda.
Seriously though, if I told you that's the reason I'd be willing to have it, I'd be lying. Sex is one of those things that feels good and harms none but the most butthurt ("I want a virgin dammit! Let's see that hymen!") if proper protection is used. Go fuck and be merry.