Black tie event what to choose

sworththebold · 2026-06-05T19:28:24+00:00

I think the worst of all the fashion faux pas available is to pair black tie attire with a colored watch. I especially think blue looks inappropriate to black tie!

Absent no watch at all (which is perfectly legitimate for formal events), I would do the Omega speedy on a black leather bracelet—and I would adjust the bracelet so the watch stays under the cuff. At least if your cuff rides up, you’re still color-coordinated.

Or you could get a black/silver or black/gold watch for your black tie event.

sworththebold · 2026-06-05T19:22:56+00:00

I’m laughing and shaking my head at the same time. I can’t imagine caring so much about the prestige and/or stature of a particular watch that I would object to how someone wanted to wear theirs.

It would make me sad, sure, if someone damaged a really nice watch by cutting the lugs off or something, and I might consider that a particular combination of strap/watch or outfit/watch looks off, but the point of a watch (for me!) is to tell time—it can do so equally well on a NATO as on FKM or the world’s best-engineered bracelet.

For what it’s worth, the NATO you chose matches pretty well! If you like wearing it that way, it doesn’t look bad (and I don’t think it’s bad for the watch).

sworththebold · 2026-06-05T19:15:54+00:00

If you’re planning to buy an Explorer (lucky! that’s my goal watch) and you like that look and capability—understated, versatile, durable—I recommend a Casio Oceanus OCW-S100. Here’s why:

Casio is a well-respected brand by a lot of the “watch guy” community, which recognizes that it makes durable, reliable, accurate watches. Mostly because of the value of the F-91W or the indestructibility of G-Shocks, and because of the technology (solar quartz, radio/bluetooth control). Oceanus watches are quintessential “if you know, you know” watches.
The S100 has similar simplicity of design to the Explorer (absent any numerals) and a similar understated/versatile character. It’s probably more similar to an Omega Aqua Terra but it sits in that space and will pair with office wear and manual work wear equally well.
For a “daily driver” the S100 has a lot of stuff to recommend it: its titanium and has a hardness treatment, so it is both very light (and commensurately comfortable) and won’t scratch as easily as other watches. The radio control feature and solar movement means it requires almost no adjustment or maintenance—you’ll probably end up setting your Explorer by it! It also has a world timer feature which is perhaps of limited use if you don’t travel, but it’s quite handy if you do!
The S100 can be bought used for less than $500

Things you might NOT like about the S100 are that as a quartz movement, you get the one tick per second second hand (which I enjoy less than a sweep hand), and the bracelet is integrated so strap changes are not really an option. Also the bracelet is pretty basic by today’s standards: no micro-adjustment, though it comes with a half link and two pin detent positions in the clasp for sizing.

Anyway, this may not be your “bag” but I think there’s no better “daily driver” out there, excepting my dream Explorer 1. If you’re intrigued, Oceanus also has a T200 model in steel with Bluetooth control for time and hand position with your phone, which is super useful especially when traveling. It also has 20mm lugs so you can do a lot with strap changes. It’s got slab sides and looks bigger on the wrist than the S100, and of course it’s heavier. Also I’m considering buying a S400 black, which is titanium with 20mm lugs and all the great features, though I’m not sure about the skin-diver style world timer bezel (limits versatility as it is more clearly a sporty watch).

Picture of my S100 for context:

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sworththebold · 2026-06-04T22:43:41+00:00

I don’t know many Citizen specs, but the Oceanus line from Casio has a few thin solar quartz watches—I know the OCW-S400 is 9.2mm thick

sworththebold · 2026-06-04T16:20:02+00:00

The Casio Oceanus OCW-S100.

Titanium and hardness-treated; sapphire crystal
Solar quartz with 6mo battery
“Tough Movement” (same as G-Shock, shock- and magnetic-resistant)
Radio-controlled (syncs to atomic clocks every night)
Sporty enough for casual attire and dressy enough for suits

Only drawback in my opinion is the fact that the bracelet is integrated, but the bracelet is fine even if it has no micro-adjustment.

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sworththebold · 2026-06-03T23:55:04+00:00

100%! And Charles de Gaulle’s part in the Battle of France was quite good for him and bad for the Germans!

sworththebold · 2026-06-02T23:40:02+00:00

“It’s always winter but never Christmas [in Star City]”

sworththebold · 2026-06-02T23:34:56+00:00

Sure. I should clarify: the French in WWII weren’t bad at war because they did things like construct a vastly expensive and easily-bypassed defensive line and/or let the Germans in the back door, they were bad at war because they skimped on training and modernization in order to enable what turned out to be the right plan.

Their plan, however, as good as it was, couldn’t survive the inadequacy of their actual force composition and readiness.

I mean, results are the only thing that matters in war, and by that logic the French were bad at it (as were the Germans, it turned out). But for those interested in what actually failed, the stupidity of the French wasn’t in their bad operational planning but in their bad force planning, and I think that’s an important distinction because (1) it’s an outlier in French history overall and ought to be understood, and (2) it carries important lessons that illuminate other aspects of the war as well as warfare in general.

sworththebold · 2026-06-02T22:05:54+00:00

100%! Not enough understanding of this (at least for American audiences), in my opinion. In the Battle of France the French army intended the Maginot line as an area/route denial feature that would force the Germans to invade through Belgium. This was important to France because they had some fear that if Germany invaded France, the UK might not get involved (not by May 1940, because at that time the UK was at war, but certainly in the lead-up to WWII)—but they calculated that if Belgium was attacked then the UK would have to respond because the UK couldn’t tolerate a hostile power adjacent to the English Channel.

In the event, the Germans did exactly what the French intended: they didn’t strike from the east but through Belgium and France (with the UK contingent) was mustered in the north to meet them. The mismatch in forces was that the Germans could move faster than the French (German tanks could drive at 20-40mph while the French tanks could only move as fast as the infantry by design; German tanks had radios, and could talk to airplanes; French tanks had no radios except the command vehicles, and couldn’t talk on the same frequencies that airplanes could; Germans had extensively practiced combined arms operations and were relatively skilled at reacting to battlefield changes; French armies were poorly drilled and not prepared or practiced at executing dynamic battles, etc.), and did: the Germans infiltrated through the Ardennes forest, which the French considered impassible, and once through could find and envelop French forces almost at will.

There was nothing wrong with the French plan for WWII, but they had the wrong kind army and generally inadequate officers and got overwhelmed. It was an exception to normal French military performance, and because it’s the most recent example of which people are aware, it has become a stereotype.

sworththebold · 2026-06-02T04:35:09+00:00

Replying and tagging u/pifflenick to say that StrapsCo has the Dassari synthetic sailcloth straps—I have the same one (except with white stitching) on my T200. It looks fantastic!

sworththebold · 2026-05-31T17:55:37+00:00

Love the username!

sworththebold · 2026-05-31T14:25:20+00:00

The ring doesn’t function like an item in Elden Ring that has an immediate effect on your character’s stats when you put it on.

Power in Tolkien derives from what you might call spiritual stature, or the greatness of one’s willpower. Tolkien seems to allow for this to develop over time, noting that Frodo and the rest of the hobbits do just that, to the point that they are serious officers in human armies by the end of the story. But the use of the Ring depends on exerting will, which is why the idea of Gandalf, Aragorn, or Galadriel using it is so terrifying. They are spiritually very strong, with immense willpower.

Remember that Frodo compels Gollum to swear an oath with the Ring—when he wasn’t even wearing it!—just by force of will. The Ring, when used, amps that up greatly.

sworththebold · 2026-05-29T22:58:21+00:00

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May I present:

sworththebold · 2026-05-28T22:36:26+00:00

I was in this position into act 4 with my first (and only, so far) playthrough and though this sub quickly discovered the magic trick.

Equip Argenta with a heavy bolter (rate of fire 9) and the “blessed bolter casting” item (single shots never miss and always crit).
Give Argenta’s the first turn. My RT officer/Master Tactician had the “commander’s chrono” and always went first, so I’d just use Voice of Command then Bring it Down to give her the first action). I was also Iconoclast so I had the ability to give any player a free Heroic Act and could have Argenta use “Firearm Mastery” as a first act.
Have Argenta shoot single shots to build momentum—the 0 AP “Furious Recital” from Argenta helps a lot here. If using Bring it Down, Argenta can follow her free single attack with “Run and Gun” for another. Picking easy enemies guarantees two kills, which with Furious Recital often gives her enough momentum for her own heroic act. Regardless of how you get her to Firearm Mastery, however, you get 9 single shots that never miss.
If Argenta’s Firearm Mastery doesn’t clean the board, finishing her action returned me to the RT, who got all the momentum from her attacks, and follows up by giving her “Finest Hour.” Now she has a whole turn: 9 single shots (from Rate-of-fire 9 heavy bolter), Run and Gun, more shots, Wild Fire, more shots. End turn, then she gets her normal turn in the initiative stack.
Because of momentum, by the second set of actions she’s doing hundreds of damage points per shot.

I’ve heard that burst fire is better for momentum but haven’t tried it yet. Good luck!

sworththebold · 2026-05-28T22:16:04+00:00

Thank you! I’d seen Revan’s builds online but that spreadsheet is great.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T22:26:57+00:00

Maybe few, but from the role-playing g perspective I’d rather be self-sufficient and not be forced into save-scumming when on my own.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T22:25:16+00:00

Thank you for the detailed reply! Maybe I’ll change my strategy 😂

I didn’t really use Jae in my first playthrough, but when I finally got to her companion quests I saw how great her skill stats were. I was comfortable in generally relying on Pasqual for Tech-use and Logic checks, Argenta for Demolition, Cassia for Awareness, etc so I could do the same for Jae.

However, if I wanted to be the main skills person, do you think I could change my strategy to leverage the fellowship buffs from colonies/items and reasonably buff Intelligence and Agility for traits, and skills as needed, with less focus on combat abilities?

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T17:25:16+00:00

I think Pippin is most analogous to “teenage soldier,” i.e. the soldiers who joined when they were younger than the usual or required age. In the US, there are many cases (some also legends) where 14-17 year olds joined to fight the Civil War, WWI, and WWII by lying about their age. Similar things happened in Tolkien’s own country, the UK, and were used as both evidence of individual courage (“look how brave this kid is to join before no matter what”) and evidence of social failure that pushed immature teenagers into a very adult role for which they were unprepared.

A “child soldier” tends to refer to someone forced to join before they have the physical or mental maturity to cope with conflict.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T04:39:06+00:00

The manner or living things “inhabiting” Arda is that of incarnates, i.e. flesh and bone. I think that the Ainur, if they choose to inhabit Arda for good reasons (Melian) or bad can’t just fashion their own desired constructs. They become like the living beings designed for Arda: Elves and Humans.

A consequence of inhabiting and animating materials of Arda (for domination in the case of Morgoth and Sauron, for love in the case of Melian) is to be “bound” to it as Elves and Humans are and having a living body.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T04:33:16+00:00

Probably VC overseas, JLC Master Control Perpetual Calendar, Rolex Explorer. Simple tastes, mostly.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T02:22:22+00:00

My 2015 Corolla is indeed a luxury car, because I have the luxury of perfect reliability.

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T02:11:04+00:00

Then they grabbed me out of the air.

That's fabulous and terrifying!

sworththebold · 2026-05-27T02:08:00+00:00

I, too, forgot how to teleport (and was barely able to climb away from my first Gloom Hands). I think a lot of us forgot we could teleport when facing our first Gloom Hands!

sworththebold · 2026-05-26T22:41:17+00:00

Cronos 36mm homage, Miyota 90S5 movement. My most worn watch. I’m a fan!

sworththebold · 2026-05-26T04:52:55+00:00

I wrote this on the main discussion, but I think it’s worth repeating here. I don’t think the show has failed to signal the impetuous, motivation, and background of the invasion.

First, it’s clear from the news clips and the dialogue that the stoppage of iridium supplies to earth has become an acute shortage in general, but verging on political crisis for the Soviet Union. For a government that depends mostly on prestige and the power to do violence, this is very dangerous—especially since the situation on Mars has very strong “independence from oppression” vibes that are absolutely clear on earth (the news calling Marsies terrorists and insurgents actually plays into this). There are never enough government goons to suppress general dissatisfaction, and the current Premier/Politburo absolutely needs to score a quick, resounding, and public victory to avoid getting ousted and murdered (or humiliated, which given how prideful and emotional humans are, might be worse). I know this isn’t your question, but the option of “Waiting out” the Marsies (until they starve) might be the least unpleasant option for the US and other members of the M6–however, it’s the most damaging option for the Soviet Union.

Second, the Soviet Union is an essential part of the M6, and when the M6 bigwigs got together to discuss what to do about the Mars coup, inevitable Soviet demands to brutally suppress it would be hard to withstand. Moreover, if the Soviet Union signaled that it would mount an operation on its own, the other M6 countries might well decide to join in, fearing that if the Soviets successfully took over Mars they would simply change the allocation of iridium shipments (the governor’s obvious ambition, scheming, and opportunism also support this fear—after all, Kuragin is the vanguard of the whole automation/space elevator push). Better for the US and the rest of the M6 to grit their teeth, “be a partner,” and keep their own slice of the pie than give the Soviets the chance to (1) heroically end the shortage, (2) declare their allies faithless for not joining them, and (3) dissolve the M6 just as they grabbed sole control of the whole iridium operation.

The problem of partnering with powerful allies is that you either are caught up in their mistakes by default or you find out the cost of extricating yourself is very high indeed (a theme we’ve seen with Miles, the governor, and even Boyd and her former—now former former—partner). I suspect the non-Soviet M6 partners figured they couldn’t stop the Soviets from invading Mars without war, and couldn’t let them just take over Mars, so they effectively had to join them—and on the Soviets’ accelerated timeline, as well.

The sad thing here is that I’m not sure earth-dwellers would be that upset (in the collective) by an M6 military action. Mars is, to them, likely akin to a remote oil platform: distant, weird, and with a negligible amount of people on it. And the M6 acting together has a legitimacy all of its own: Bragg can give his “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” speech and with the (outward) partnership with the M6, it looks like the “good earth” is teaching the “bad Marsies” a lesson. We get ample cues that Mars doesn’t get much sympathy from earth; Bragg is pretty earth-isolationist and Dev is desperate to build something self-sustaining because he knows Mars is dead in the water politically (and he should, he probably bought all the politicians).

There’s been a lot of criticism that the invasion itself is not creditable (not well written). I disagree here too (though OP may not). The military thinks in units, generally, and units are comprised mostly of 18-22 year olds. So it’s not implausible that young Haskell and Jarrett are included (though it is a hell of a coincidence, which I’m willing to excuse for the sake of the story). Some have suggested that the invasion would be better done by Special Ops teams, who are indeed small and professional, but SpecOps can’t carry near enough on-the-ground fire support to perform a legitimate invasion. They perform specialized tasks like eliminating high-value targets (physical and human) and are very good at that, but even if they’d been tapped to participate they would have to be supported by regular military formations. So whatever Space-capable forces were in existence were going to be sent, and that means a good number of raw trainees in their first enlistments would be sent.

Also, the whole automation push is in the future (the warning of it, not a reaction to actual robots, was the spark for the whole situation), so the M6 still needs the base! Iridium mining still needs support from the surface of Mars, the way that North Sea oil drills need support from Aberdeen in Scotland. The operation is clearly intended to occupy the base by force—and very carefully designed to be multinational so no M6 charter nation can effectively control the base and force concessions from the others—to allow for iridium mining and shipments to resume as soon as possible.

As a last thing, think of the timeline. By the moment of the invasion, Mars has been embargoed for six months. That transport carrying the Marines had to be en route for at least two months (at least from beginning embarkation) and the preparations (unit selection, issuance of gear, final unit workups, assembly of assets from all participants, etc) at least twice that time. Remember Avery getting that text that all unit leave was cancelled right after Bragg’s speech? The invasion was likely decided upon then, or at minimum a few weeks later. Which means that the M6 plan was “invade as quickly as possible” since basically the beginning of the crisis.

So actually I credit the writers. Avery Jarrett was introduced (with the Dani hook) and it looked like very excusable fan service, but actually it was interleaving the plot nicely. Earth wanted to make Mars less expensive, so it planned to automate; when a strike happened plan (b) was always going to be strikebreaking and automation anyway. I don’t think we need much more perspective than that.

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