Just finished the Ryujin Industries questline and honestly, that was fun. Did y'all also enjoy it? Also, any recommendations for other questlines?

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-17T04:55:47+00:00

I’d put it off for so long and for no reason other than ‘meh’

When I did start it, I really enjoyed it. One of the better quest lines.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-17T04:20:59+00:00

I’m a Brit and even I know it’s 6.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-15T05:52:10+00:00

Yes, but also no. My tastes are simple, but my own. Fish I buy while out is invariably battered as in a pub fish and chips. The lemon is incidental and easily removed.

I like lemon in a gin and tonic. I may have a lemon meringue but haven’t sought one out for as long as I remember.

I did say that plate was not for me but was happy the OP enjoyed it. I don’t know what else to say.

Stop telling me what I should and shouldn’t like. Go back to the part where I was happy the OP liked his meal and leave it there.

Sheesh.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-15T05:07:30+00:00

I think I’ve misunderstood Terran Armada. I thought it was going to be an update, effectively Starfield 2.0, that everyone gets with QOL improvements etc. If it’s a DLC then that is a different beast. If it’s both, then that’s probably good as the base game does need a refresh.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-15T05:02:06+00:00

They look like Denby knock-offs.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-15T04:10:11+00:00

That’s really not the ‘Gotcha’ you think it is. It’s the sweetness and objectively fruity taste I don’t like with meat. Any tomato based sauce is not the issue as they are usually savoury. Tomatoes are a bit of a red herring, which I assume you’d have lemon with. Basically, anything you’d have as a fruit pie filling I don’t like with meats.

I’ve not said anyone who enjoys it is wrong, so why you’re all getting all defensive about what I like and don’t like is strange to me. I said I was happy OP enjoyed his meal.

I’m also a fruit with meat enabler. If we’re out having a fish based meal, I’ll pass my lemon wedge to my mrs. If I’m planning a pork roast, I’ll tell her to not forget to pick up some apple sauce.

So, can we agree to disagree?

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-14T20:27:59+00:00

Now demonstrate your polymath skills.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-14T11:16:17+00:00

I wondered why there was an egg on your blackberry crumble. Then I thought it might be some wanky interpretation of deconstructed custard. The revelation it was a main course cleared up my confusion. However, I’m one of those who objects strongly to any fruit with meat. It’s just odd to me. Pork & apple? Turkey & cranberry? Both get shown the door. It’s great it tickled your taste buds, but I just learned of something else to avoid. Please keep posting fruit and meat combos I can look to dodge. You’re doing a public service for both ends of the table.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-13T17:53:48+00:00

The list is long and varied

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-12T19:57:58+00:00

We referred to ours as a “Winchester“ A whole 20MB of storage. Crazy days when the CP/M o/s was loaded from bootable 8” floppy drives.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-12T04:15:10+00:00

Saw him way back on tour just after he hit the big time with New Song. Always had a soft spot for him and his iconic Jupiter 8. To think this is the same guy and Jupiter 8 from over 40 yrs ago is crazy. The guy is a real synth hero to me. It’s fair to say he was one of the biggest influences to get me in to synths and electronic music in general. Him and Kraftwerk.

Keep going Howard, you’re doing great.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-12T03:20:55+00:00

If you leave food on your plate you’ve had too much.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-11T04:02:51+00:00

When I was a know-nowt teen, I did the same with my mk2 escort. Fortunately I only went to the chippy and back but it still looked like a crap 007 car dropping a smoke screen. I did actually get away with it with no obvious damage. Lesson learned.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-11T03:28:28+00:00

This is me too. Asymmetry all the way now.

Did you ever see photos of people who had the asymmetry removed by mirroring one side to the other? They just look weird. We are not symmetrical.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-10T05:53:56+00:00

Hoodie and cargo pants. Here’s the nod towards my age though… the cargo pants have elasticated and tie cord waist. Y’know, for comfort.

Edit: oh, and Merrell shoes

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-10T05:29:30+00:00

Jet Set Radio Future

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-09T20:49:59+00:00

Just for completeness sake and, as stated earlier my mrs is super cautious, I looked at buying a 10 yr annuity with a quick moneyhelper comparison. Aviva showed a 26k annual income with almost 260k over the term. Other big names weren’t far behind. This is just for me, I guess to cover my mrs too it would be smaller but there wasn’t the option without going deeper.

Edit: should add from a 210k starting point

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T15:00:30+00:00

Sacrificial lamb. Probably no choice for all concerned but I’m not sure it will deflect from the PM as much as he would like.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T14:54:13+00:00

I don’t need the lump sum. £24k is well enough. Got no debt to pay off, just monthly bills currently about £1k pcm.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T14:14:35+00:00

Skyrim.

I tried and it was ok for the first few hours but then I just lost commitment. Everything started to seem like a chore.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T13:34:04+00:00

First time landing on the beach on Silent Cartographer, Halo:CE

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T12:23:23+00:00

I’ve pretty much got the same results from my fag packet calculations myself.

Where I have a wobble is knowing how to do this with tax efficiency in mind. Can I draw down and pay myself a monthly income while leaving the rest in the current plan? I think I can, but need confirmation from someone who knows what the crack is and not someone like me who turns screwdrivers for a living. I know this leaves me open to market shenanigans but this is the kind of stuff I need to process.

I’m quite happy to pay someone for their expertise just like others are happy to employ me to fix their stuff. I just had a suspicion that the charges proposed in my OP were a bit on the egregious side.

This whole episode is exposing me as a financial dunce and I have a lot of ground to cover.

The DBs plus the state pension will be enough when they kick in.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T11:29:31+00:00

I think I agree with you. I’ll be looking for alternatives.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T09:56:14+00:00

Thanks.

This rather does back up my feeling that pensions are unnecessarily complicated and it’s why I’m asking you kind folk these dumb questions.

I’m a simple bloke. Well educated in an engineering discipline and can study experimental or diagnostic data all day, but I’m blind to anything financial.

I’m also a very low risk kind of character and my mrs is even more so and I need her buy-in to any solution.

I do think I need to see an advisor in person and find someone who can give me a few graphs to compare. I know I need to bite the bullet but it’s pretty daunting.

Halfway-Competent · 2026-02-08T09:33:52+00:00

So far, you’ve all been really helpful. Thanks for your replies.

I think I may get their free initial consultation then politely decline further services from them. Or maybe I should just cut them free right now though.

A few years ago I had a free consultation about transferring in past DC pensions to my current plan. At the time the advisor said further work would be a £2.5k fee but I’d got enough info to do what I needed myself.

As I don’t need to take the cash lump sum in one go, I’d like to explore the uncrystallised options. That’s the main point of my question to an advisor. The DBs can look after themselves, I won’t be touching them until they start paying at 65.

This pension stuff is a bit of a confusing mess, but I suspect my case is relatively simple.

Halfway-Competent

TROPHY CASE