<![CDATA[Metal Gear Forums

<![CDATA[Metal Gear Forums - Off Topic]]> https://metalgearforums.com/ Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:29:05 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Making our lives better]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Making-our-lives-better Tue, 27 Oct 2026 19:42:56 +0100 bigboss88]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Making-our-lives-better Hey everyone,

Figured I’d start a thread where we can all share practical advice on making our lives better. The idea is simple: each person posts one piece of advice and includes:

- The type of advice (financial, health, marital, psychological, career, etc.)
- Why it’s important
- How to actually do it

Anyone is free to ask questions about anyone else’s advice — don’t be shy, just keep it constructive. The more discussion the better.

I’ll go first.

Type: Financial
Advice: Start stacking physical silver. I still think it has a long way to go and can reach $120 an ounce again (and hold higher levels over time).

Why it’s important:
Silver put in a massive run from the start of 2025 through the end of January 2026. It began the year around $30 an ounce, steadily climbed, broke the old $50 record in October 2025 for the first time in decades, and finished 2025 in the low-to-mid $70s — roughly a 140-150% gain for the year. Then January 2026 went fully parabolic: it ripped higher almost every week, cleared $100, and hit an all-time high near $121 on January 29. That kind of move shows the upside when industrial demand (solar, electronics, EVs), supply deficits, and investment interest line up.

Even after the sharp pullback that followed (it dropped hard at the very end of January and has corrected further since), the structural case hasn’t gone away. Physical silver you hold yourself is still a solid hedge against currency debasement and economic uncertainty. It can’t be frozen or digitally altered, and the industrial use case keeps growing.

How to do it:
- Buy a little every month (dollar-cost average) instead of trying to time the exact bottom.
- Stick to recognizable coins or small bars from established mints/dealers (American Silver Eagles, Canadian Maples, generic rounds with low premiums, etc.).
- Keep premiums reasonable and avoid high-markup “collectibles.”
- Store it yourself in a safe or secure location you control.
- Treat it as long-term insurance, not a get-rich-quick trade. Only use money you can afford to park for years.

That’s my piece. What’s yours? Drop the type, why it matters, and the practical steps — and feel free to ask questions on anything posted here. Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.]]> Hey everyone,

Figured I’d start a thread where we can all share practical advice on making our lives better. The idea is simple: each person posts one piece of advice and includes:

- The type of advice (financial, health, marital, psychological, career, etc.)
- Why it’s important
- How to actually do it

Anyone is free to ask questions about anyone else’s advice — don’t be shy, just keep it constructive. The more discussion the better.

I’ll go first.

Type: Financial
Advice: Start stacking physical silver. I still think it has a long way to go and can reach $120 an ounce again (and hold higher levels over time).

Why it’s important:
Silver put in a massive run from the start of 2025 through the end of January 2026. It began the year around $30 an ounce, steadily climbed, broke the old $50 record in October 2025 for the first time in decades, and finished 2025 in the low-to-mid $70s — roughly a 140-150% gain for the year. Then January 2026 went fully parabolic: it ripped higher almost every week, cleared $100, and hit an all-time high near $121 on January 29. That kind of move shows the upside when industrial demand (solar, electronics, EVs), supply deficits, and investment interest line up.

Even after the sharp pullback that followed (it dropped hard at the very end of January and has corrected further since), the structural case hasn’t gone away. Physical silver you hold yourself is still a solid hedge against currency debasement and economic uncertainty. It can’t be frozen or digitally altered, and the industrial use case keeps growing.

How to do it:
- Buy a little every month (dollar-cost average) instead of trying to time the exact bottom.
- Stick to recognizable coins or small bars from established mints/dealers (American Silver Eagles, Canadian Maples, generic rounds with low premiums, etc.).
- Keep premiums reasonable and avoid high-markup “collectibles.”
- Store it yourself in a safe or secure location you control.
- Treat it as long-term insurance, not a get-rich-quick trade. Only use money you can afford to park for years.

That’s my piece. What’s yours? Drop the type, why it matters, and the practical steps — and feel free to ask questions on anything posted here. Looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.]]> <![CDATA[Identity Crisis]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Identity-Crisis Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:57:32 +0200 Helikaon]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Identity-Crisis
Have you ever been diagnosed with a psychotic mental disorder, then roughly 8 years pass, and the very same doctor who told you that diagnosis, one that you once felt and thought explained everything you experienced since the age of 14 and then that doctor tells you he now thinks he made a mistake?

Ever based your entire identity, medication routine, and life around understanding a psychotic disorder, only to finally experience utter psychosis and then report back to your caregivers and then 2 years pass?

Well, I found out what that feels like roughly 10 days ago. FML.

Onwards and upwards, I guess. The Best is Yet to Come, I'm sure.]]>
Have you ever been diagnosed with a psychotic mental disorder, then roughly 8 years pass, and the very same doctor who told you that diagnosis, one that you once felt and thought explained everything you experienced since the age of 14 and then that doctor tells you he now thinks he made a mistake?

Ever based your entire identity, medication routine, and life around understanding a psychotic disorder, only to finally experience utter psychosis and then report back to your caregivers and then 2 years pass?

Well, I found out what that feels like roughly 10 days ago. FML.

Onwards and upwards, I guess. The Best is Yet to Come, I'm sure.]]> <![CDATA[/me thread]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-me-thread Sun, 13 Sep 2026 18:57:13 +0200 Dirty Duck]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-me-thread <![CDATA[Post a picture of yourself]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Post-a-picture-of-yourself Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:38:33 +0200 Jassassino]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Post-a-picture-of-yourself
Photo of me as Darth Maul for the Phantom Menace anniversary screening. Facepaint by moi. 😪
[Image: received-363265886742286.jpg]

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Photo of me as Darth Maul for the Phantom Menace anniversary screening. Facepaint by moi. 😪
[Image: received-363265886742286.jpg]

]]> <![CDATA[LEGO]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-LEGO Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:48:28 +0200 Jassassino]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-LEGO ) sets, it's one of those cultural touchstones everyone is familiar with.

A lot of discussion is coming up online lately (maybe the past year or two) about how LEGO is becoming increasingly exclusionary of its original target demographic of children. I actually received one of the LEGO Botanical sets for my birthday as an unexpected but charming gift for my birthday recently and built it yesterday and love how it looks on our new shelf I put up in the living room, and it was a really relaxing way to spend 25-30 minutes of my time whilst watching TV. But would I have bought it myself? I'm unsure. As a creative idle hobby, you'll be spending between £30 - £190 for some of these sets aimed at adults, and it's also one-and-done. Some sets will also exclude minifigures you would expect from them too, only for them to be included in other parallel sets for an extra £30.

I do have a real, real soft spot for LEGO, but looking at sets makes me feel awful - they're so expensive and although they've always been on the pricey side, there was always a kind of "bang for your buck" cheaper set with a few figures, vehicle builds or scenic pieces which let me as a child enjoy it back in the day.

Anyway, saw these videos today and suddenly really itching to look in charity shops and boot fairs now for a tonne of LEGO to build this kind of shi.

]]> ) sets, it's one of those cultural touchstones everyone is familiar with.

A lot of discussion is coming up online lately (maybe the past year or two) about how LEGO is becoming increasingly exclusionary of its original target demographic of children. I actually received one of the LEGO Botanical sets for my birthday as an unexpected but charming gift for my birthday recently and built it yesterday and love how it looks on our new shelf I put up in the living room, and it was a really relaxing way to spend 25-30 minutes of my time whilst watching TV. But would I have bought it myself? I'm unsure. As a creative idle hobby, you'll be spending between £30 - £190 for some of these sets aimed at adults, and it's also one-and-done. Some sets will also exclude minifigures you would expect from them too, only for them to be included in other parallel sets for an extra £30.

I do have a real, real soft spot for LEGO, but looking at sets makes me feel awful - they're so expensive and although they've always been on the pricey side, there was always a kind of "bang for your buck" cheaper set with a few figures, vehicle builds or scenic pieces which let me as a child enjoy it back in the day.

Anyway, saw these videos today and suddenly really itching to look in charity shops and boot fairs now for a tonne of LEGO to build this kind of shi.

]]> <![CDATA[Night Ops]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Night-Ops Tue, 16 Jun 2026 11:32:57 +0200 drcroc]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Night-Ops
So I've been planning for a while on starting to go out more at night and do stuff, maybe ghost hunting or star gazing. Wanted to make a thread about it in hopes that we could start to talk amongst ourselves about whatever interesting things we may end up doing at night, and sharing pics or stories. The problem is that in modern society, its more normal for people to just stay inside at night, and really do nothing worth noting. In fact, people usually think you're suspicious if they see you outside at night unless you're like driving or entering or leaving a store or something. I don't think its a good thing that because of bad actors and criminals we just allow this as a society to keep going on.

Night time should be a peaceful and freeing and open time for people to do stuff. I have an oversensitivity to light and sound, so really the only time I really feel good and really can concentrate well is at night. I'm sure there are other people out there that are like me in that regard, perhaps even on this forum too.

So I'm writing this about an hour before sunset, and once it's dark and there are less people out driving I'm going to go out to a spot I found last night. Seems like a tucked away little pond and maybe people fish out there. Looking at the satellite map it also looks to be surrounded by fields and forests with no houses close enough for my presence to be too concerning to anyone. I'll come back and write some more once I'm back, but let me explain my idea to all of you who might be also interested in night time operations.

Whenever you can, if you feel like it you should try to go outside at night and do something fun, even if it's just stargazing. You might see a UFO! Obviously you shouldn't do anything risky, keep yourself safe, and plan well beforehand accordingly. Post your pics and videos and stories of whatever you end up doing :3

I went out to this little pond and it was pretty peaceful with occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the clouds. Lots of fireflies which i havent seen much since i was a kid. Frogs too, but other than that there wasn't much going on. I got a few bug bites which are itching a lot now lol. Anyways I'll come back with another post here sometime and hopefully will have some more interesting stuff by then.]]>
So I've been planning for a while on starting to go out more at night and do stuff, maybe ghost hunting or star gazing. Wanted to make a thread about it in hopes that we could start to talk amongst ourselves about whatever interesting things we may end up doing at night, and sharing pics or stories. The problem is that in modern society, its more normal for people to just stay inside at night, and really do nothing worth noting. In fact, people usually think you're suspicious if they see you outside at night unless you're like driving or entering or leaving a store or something. I don't think its a good thing that because of bad actors and criminals we just allow this as a society to keep going on.

Night time should be a peaceful and freeing and open time for people to do stuff. I have an oversensitivity to light and sound, so really the only time I really feel good and really can concentrate well is at night. I'm sure there are other people out there that are like me in that regard, perhaps even on this forum too.

So I'm writing this about an hour before sunset, and once it's dark and there are less people out driving I'm going to go out to a spot I found last night. Seems like a tucked away little pond and maybe people fish out there. Looking at the satellite map it also looks to be surrounded by fields and forests with no houses close enough for my presence to be too concerning to anyone. I'll come back and write some more once I'm back, but let me explain my idea to all of you who might be also interested in night time operations.

Whenever you can, if you feel like it you should try to go outside at night and do something fun, even if it's just stargazing. You might see a UFO! Obviously you shouldn't do anything risky, keep yourself safe, and plan well beforehand accordingly. Post your pics and videos and stories of whatever you end up doing :3

Spoiler:

]]>
Who's looking forward to it?

Spoiler:

]]> <![CDATA[Late night feelings]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Late-night-feelings Sat, 09 May 2026 05:48:41 +0200 NateDog]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Late-night-feelings

I watched When Harry Met Sally last yesterday for the first time, and one of the things that (for some reason) stood out to me was these close friends that each of the main characters had outside of work at the various stages in their lives despite the many time jumps in the movie. I feel like that's something I've struggled with over the years a lot. Maybe it's just me and my own personality and inability to retain friendships. I can be very closed off and don't exactly make it easy for people, heck a coworker just the other night was asking me how long we had been working on the same team (we're split up into 4 groups that all normally only interact with each other in passing unless people are working overtime or end up covering gaps in other teams) and I laughed that she's remarked many times that I used to be such a rude bastard and it took years to break me out of my shell with her once she ended up on mine.

But I have had people that I've spent time with outside of work that I get along with well and it generally ends up the same way. You leave jobs and it just becomes harder to see each other, you try and the other person doesn't so you stop trying (that's how I ended up years without any friends having cut off everyone from my school years a long while back), they move away, etc. I guess I always wonder when I see people that not only maintain these relationships but also continue to forge new ones how they manage to do it. I find it hard to get time for myself to breathe most weeks. Maybe I just encourage it. I go to the cinema alone, I game mostly by myself (apart from the odd occasion with my brother-in-law), I don't drink alcohol so I avoid work nights out most times they happen. I often see people lamenting the challenge of making friends as you get older and away from the years of school, college and that point in life where you're bouncing from job to job and regularly meeting new people your age.

Is it just the modern age, or has it always been this way for everyone? Do it early or face getting left behind? Maybe I shouldn't miss it. I'm a loner at heart and have been for a long time, something I remind Leelee often when she sees me in those moments where I just want peace and little more for a while. So maybe I've actively asking for it. But every now and again I find myself craving more, different connections with other human beings.]]> <![CDATA[Basketball (last 5 mins of 4th quarter watchers only)]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Basketball-last-5-mins-of-4th-quarter-watchers-only Mon, 04 May 2026 02:04:36 +0200 SK8R LUNG]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Basketball-last-5-mins-of-4th-quarter-watchers-only
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]]> <![CDATA[Where are you from?]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Where-are-you-from Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:32:18 +0200 DANMATUS]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Where-are-you-from Null post "How old are you?" I thought id start a "Where are you from?" thread! Ill start: I was born, raised and is currently living in Sweden, parents fled the war from Iran in the late 70s.]]> Null post "How old are you?" I thought id start a "Where are you from?" thread! Ill start: I was born, raised and is currently living in Sweden, parents fled the war from Iran in the late 70s.]]> <![CDATA[How old are you?]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-How-old-are-you Fri, 17 Apr 2026 19:30:39 +0200 Null]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-How-old-are-you <![CDATA[Travelling]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Travelling Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:01:04 +0200 Jassassino]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Travelling
I'm heading to China on 1st May, really looking forward to going back - I spent a month in Chengdu back in 2016, so it will be like a ten year anniversary trip for me (even if I'm not going back to Chengdu).

I've got a little over two weeks booked off for it. Hoping to do a crescent tour of cities starting in Beijing, and even planning on doing a few Kung Fu lessons whilst there (booked one in with the Shaolin Temple as part of a group lmao. Looking forward to seeing if what people say about Shaolin Temple being a state-sponsored McDojo is true).]]>
I'm heading to China on 1st May, really looking forward to going back - I spent a month in Chengdu back in 2016, so it will be like a ten year anniversary trip for me (even if I'm not going back to Chengdu).

I've got a little over two weeks booked off for it. Hoping to do a crescent tour of cities starting in Beijing, and even planning on doing a few Kung Fu lessons whilst there (booked one in with the Shaolin Temple as part of a group lmao. Looking forward to seeing if what people say about Shaolin Temple being a state-sponsored McDojo is true).]]> <![CDATA[Baseball]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Baseball Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:59:27 +0200 SK8R LUNG]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-Baseball [Image: siren.gif]

world series rematch happening tonight

except half of the jays lineup is injured gg]]> [Image: siren.gif]

world series rematch happening tonight

except half of the jays lineup is injured gg]]> <![CDATA[MGF's Official Rant Thread]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-MGF-s-Official-Rant-Thread Wed, 11 Feb 2026 09:07:09 +0100 Jassassino]]> https://metalgearforums.com/Thread-MGF-s-Official-Rant-Thread
[Image: maxresdefault.jpg]

Every week I go into the office once a week, grab a Thameslink to get there. Used to be easy enough, I'd get a seat easy. Over the past 4 or 5 months, there's been exponentially more and more people on my usual train. There's been times in the past few weeks where I would simply have to wait for the next one to be able to get on, and if one was cancelled, I'd be fucked for space on any of them and have to find another way.

Just let people continue working from home. I actually don't care about all this talk about productivity etc.

And if there's an uptick on people commuting to the office? Increase the number and size of trains!

Also, coincidentally, as I was just done typing all the above, an overhead wire for our track broke and we had to get off the train to change to the underground instead. Bruh. 💀

Anyway yeah, what's been on your mind lately? Anything you wanna get off your chest?]]>
[Image: maxresdefault.jpg]

Zoom zoom zoom!

Closed test today. This year marks year 28 for me (first year was back in 1998 - a guy called Michael driving a red Ferrari - easy sell).

Anyone else looking forward to testing/season at large? What do we think?

Also; prized possession picture tax. No CoA...

Spoiler:

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Spoiler:

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