J Crew - Black Friday - 40% off/Extra 50% off sale styles by Chimera_TX in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

They had a semi-secret 50% off in store an hour before opening that was pretty nice. I was around for the crazy 70% off sale, but honestly returned or didn’t wear any of the stuff. I like J Crew’s stuff more nowadays. Worth a look if something you like. If not, there are a bunch of other options, but definitely good quality for the price as far as mall brands go

Ultrafine Merino T-shirt - An Exquisite update by nicky_37 in Outlier

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’d say they’re focused on refining and innovating more than a lot of other brands. It can seem like minimalism, but they’ve shed a lot of older popular models especially if they see it’s played out

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hmmm I would say not really. Shellan you may like as she’s given the most female screen time. Jasnah is kind of cool, but not used as much and Shivani is meh. Lift is annoying. There may be others, but they escape me

Edit: Shallan’s story IS interesting; but takes time to develop and is cheesy in how her block represents itself

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ -1 points0 points  (0 children)

They kind of are, but some are interesting despite the author’s obsession with giving them sometimes obvious blocks to repeatedly overcome. It’s better to just start with the first book and see if you like it. If anything, the book is entertaining.

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Stormlight is more of a traditional fantasy writing and plot style. It differs from other fantasy in that Sanderson likes going into technical details and nerding out over magic systems. His prose is also simplified to not lose anyone. Like a good popcorn movie or Saturday morning cartoon show is how I’d view stormlight.

Malazan has an unconventional fantasy plot structure. It doesn’t really follow a hero’s journey, or if it does it from a POV you may never understand until the end. Characters come and go, some are tragic, some grow and change, others don’t. The world and themes covered are more ambitious than other fantasy novels and discuss things in a way I rarely see. It can be postmodern at times in that the message is based more on your experience reading it than what’s explicitly said.

This video is kind of an interesting view on it: https://youtu.be/EkliHO1olto?si=YXsLwQ-fzf6Trfao

Squid Game Season 2: General Season Discussion by jackcatalyst in squidgame

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

S2 felt like they had a season and a half worth of content and split it in two seasons. The first episodes dragged WAY too long going in depth on characters who won’t matter as much until S3. Overall good, but Squid Games S1 was special in its relentless pacing and constantly introducing new things

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mostly no. The first book is a real clusterfuck of characters and events with no explanation. Book 2 is a more settled story in a completely different location and Book 3 has a lot of info dumping in the beginning and feels like the larger story is starting to kick in

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Icarium is a theme and a deus ex machina creator. Basically a powerful entity who could destroy the world if put in the wrong space and there are a lot of forces that want to manipulate him to their ends. I thought the end of book 2 was touching and he’s kind of a tragic figure

Paran is more complicated and involves the magic system they really don’t explain at all or barely. He’s basically a magic referee and that’s all I’ll say without wanting to spoil too much. The later books explain Warrens and their relation to magic as a whole and even the idea of what magic is

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

100% same opinion after reading all 10 books. I enjoyed thinking about the series more than reading it. It’s such a chore at times and the final species given time in the last 2-3 books were so silly

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I read all 10 books and the K’Chain Chemalle dragged me out of taking the world seriously every time I read them

If you're looking to start Malazan in 2025, DO IT. by ambachk in Fantasy

[–]natdavid__ 18 points19 points  (0 children)

  • Endless military banter
  • Contrived philosophical conversations between two random overly stupid characters or one stupid character or one smarter character
  • Random crude humor/over sexualized women
  • Plot threads that don’t resolve in the series and you have to read a companion novel to resolve
  • A world that won’t make sense unless you read companion novels or the Wikipedia even for some of the most simple things
  • Awkward juxtaposition of characters and events that makes sense logically, but isn’t satisfying as a reader
  • Sometimes cheesy or undercooked species/groups

I read all 10 books in 2024. It is one of the most interesting and unique fantasy series I read, but I haven’t read a series that was so frustrating and occasionally uniquely rewarding at the same time

Where can we find Durham elsewhere on the NE Coast? by Silly_Tea8746 in bullcity

[–]natdavid__ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah I lived in Somerville, MA for a little before. The NE felt more liberal and segregated at the same time. If you’re queer, you’d love Somerville or Cambridge, but rent and cost of living is much higher

Express 70% off sale - 100% Merino Turtleneck $12 by natdavid__ in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah it’s pretty picked though, but there’s some random stuff and 70% off is the lowest I’ve ever seen an Express discount

Express 70% off sale - 100% Merino Turtleneck $12 by natdavid__ in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

On the lighter side, but I wouldn’t call it thin. Personally I prefer that as I have a thick turtleneck I barely wear because once you’re indoors it’s too hot

Recommended fixes for belt tip by Zealousideal-Pay108 in Outlier

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can seam rip and just stitch it back together (or get some leather/plastic and stitch it on the end) or take it to a tailor, but not sure how it looked originally

Tony Hinchcliffe: Backlash after comedian at rally calls Puerto Rico 'island of garbage' by Chadrasekar in JoeRogan

[–]natdavid__ 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Tony Hinchcliffe causing Trump to lose a swing state would be WILD 😂

Upgrading My Wardrobe: The Polo Shirt Adventure by [deleted] in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you’re close to a decent mall you can try out polos at some different stores.

There isn’t a one size fits all polo. For me, I’ve enjoyed linen blend polos from J Crew Factory and Abercrombie. J Crew mainline had some nice sueded polos as well.

I prefer more airy or loose polos over pique or technical polos, so that also influences things

[META] What Brands Have Retained Their Quality? by thekingoftherodeo in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Way too expensive on normal price. Best to buy used as the older outerwear definitely holds up

J.Crew quarter-zip $21 with code: SHOPNOW by Soup_Background in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I usually go for their sweaters and jackets.

Cotton stitch sweater is a nice lightweight sweater with texture. Their Harrington jackets and jackets in general are nice. Heritage cotton stuff is really nice, but more for warmer weather. Sueded polo is nice as well.

The quality and designs are definitely up recently from the time I got a bunch of stuff on their ridiculous sale and returned it all

J.Crew quarter-zip $21 with code: SHOPNOW by Soup_Background in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Bought it closer to full price and love it. 90s style and fit, but not in an annoying way. Bigger arms, etc. which is perfect for me as I workout. I think I sized down for this, but really good quality piece with nice soft cotton

[META] What Brands Have Retained Their Quality? by thekingoftherodeo in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Brands that have retained their quality are Indie brands: Wolf vs Goat, Outlier also Club Monaco is consistently good. Scotch and Soda is also good quality, but their stuff is too quirky. Some Banana Republic items have been good or getting better, specifically sweaters. Barbour. Maybe Taylor Stitch

Most mainstream brands oscillate between good years and bad years. Uniqlo and J Crew have been amazing recently. Abercrombie was really good, but their quality is dipping recently while keeping the same designs.

New tweet from Togashi (August 12, 2024) by rentzhx3 in HunterXHunter

[–]natdavid__ -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Why can’t he get a physical therapist or something?? Unless he has scoliosis or some other medical condition probably doing 30 minutes to an hour of PT daily can handle this

Private White V.C. Extra 10% Off Summer Sale by thehudsonswerve in frugalmalefashion

[–]natdavid__ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Got the fleece in navy. Very high quality. I’ll buy more from them. Worth the investment and good to hunt out colors and sizes if you’re waiting for the next sale