First
While the first few weeks were pretty eventless, Mor had this bad feeling that the peace would not last. He excels at magic theory and can hold his own on applied beginner magic, still, he had a dower outlook as he was unable to make a single friend.
But when, after the lessons, he found a little letter slipped discreetly below the door of his dorm room, it changed his outlook in an instant. So as he opened the envelope slightly smelling of flowers, Mor read the elegantly written letter inside, a dopey smile growing on his face.
"I don´t know how to start this letter, but I admire your smarts and think you are really cute. I would like to meet you tomorrow after the lessons behind the training center where we could have a talk and get to know each other some more.
Zaletha Angelith"
As he went to class the next day, his head in the clouds, he finally felt that everything would be alright it was his popular phase now. While he dreamily sat through the lessons his imagination ran wild and sometimes threw a shy glance toward the girl who wrote him the letter. His heart fluttered a little as she noticed him and smiled brightly. Mor could not await the end of lessons and finally was released from his torment. He was almost rushing to the meeting spot not wanting to let this opportunity go, and he would not be made to wait long. A few minutes after he arrived at the meeting spot the sparkling form of Zaletha walked up to him smiling brightly and instantly going for a hug, which set Mor´s brain into a state of shock and exhilaration.
He was instantly thrown into a dreamy dopey state and did not notice the other visitors who intruded on the intimacy of the two to be lovebirds.
"Look at that, the princess and the peasant!" One of them exclaimed and the other two snickered.
"Maybe you should rather get yourself, someone of your status, like a little beggar girl. You magicless looser"
And while those words were hurtful to Mor he just ignored those idiots, but then his view fell onto the face of Zaletha. He saw her fear of those bullies and instantly a cold furry began to burn in his chest. Turning around furious he began to channel his magic, glowering at the three other boys
"Fuck off Ruby, and take your flunkies with you, or I will beat you up!" He shouted and all three just smiled at him. The leader called Ruby raised an eyebrow at Mor.
"You would attack someone from royalty? Know your place trash. I Ranbor Ruby, am the most talented flame caster of this school and can burn you to cinders if I wish!"
A slight bout of fear manifested inside of Mor´s conscience but as his view flickered to Zaletha clinging fearfully at his back it was quickly squashed. His rage reached new heights and he unleashed a bolt of pure arcane power which instantly was stopped by a magic barrier cast by one of the flunkies.
Mor was instantly caught in a whirling wall of fire, burning away his flesh, hurting like nothing ever hurt before, he would die, right here right now but at least he could protect Zaletha. Smiling like an idiot he embraced death, just as with the snip of fingers the flames disappeared, along with something, and a feminine giggle started behind him.
There he was standing looking like an idiot, his actions finally catching up with his brain and draining all color from his face. He slowly mechanically turned to look at Zaletha, but his admiration for her was completely gone, and she just laughed at him.
"He really fell for it, that lowly peasant thought he could have a chance with me!"
And now he understood, with his longing for friends, for someone to have social connections his hope for that letter to be real, Mor was caught in an illusion magic. Forming his thoughts, giving him fake feelings, and making him make a stupid mistake, as it is against school rules to use magic against another student. So here he stands four people laughing at his idiocy and he has no witness of his own to change the narrative, he was caught and would now be expelled.
"Well, well, well peasant. You are really in a sticky situation here, aren´t you?" Ranbor gloated.
"But don´t fear, we won´t tattle on you, but let's say for our understanding and silence you need to grant us a few small favors, nothing too bad, so don´t fear. How about you do our homework for today? That seems fair, for the scare you caused."
With that, Mor knew his bad feelings had been right and he would be at the mercy of those bullies. Because who would believe a low-born over the statement of a group of nobles? His school life of dread would really kick off now.
While his grades stayed good, as he would from this point on, always did the homework for 5 people, and secluded himself as often as possible in his room while they had free time so he could evade his tormentors, every time they would cross paths they would torment him with illusions if no teacher was nearby and be all buddy while a teacher was watching. It drained him and let his magic control waver, because of this his applied magic training got worse and worse.
Mor would often think to write a letter to his parents about his dismay, but could not bring himself to disappoint them, so he would lie about how he made a lot of friends and how great everything was. Sometimes he would try to trip up the lies of his bullies in front of a teacher, but his attempts were always seen as "friendly" rivalry between the generous nobles, who took on the peasant recluse and tried to get him to socialize against his will.
As soon as the teacher was out of sight, he would pay for his insolence with illusory pain, and anything to hurt him, that would not leave any marks. It was plain hell and as his thoughts went to quitting everything more and more, another desperate plan formed in his brain.
Maybe if he could be strong enough if he could get specialized magic he could fight back show those bullies he can not be taken lightly and finally break this abusive cycle.
He would do something forbidden, a once-in-a-lifetime ritual, designed to join the souls of two soul-kin together, a ritual designed as bonding with your soulmate and lifelong partner joining your magic pool and affinities together and enhancing both. In some children story´s a lone hero would often use this ritual to fuse his soul not with kin but a mighty elemental force and become far more powerful than any kin, with the cost of staying alone forever, never having a "true" soulbond.
In the deep night, Mor began to draw the required magic circles, using his blood and earth from the gardens as a medium for an earth elemental force and with a last bit of exertion he funneled all his magic into the ritual, falling unconscious at the same time.
In the same moment, fate called, or perhaps it was just chance, when a pick struck something that should never been rediscovered, and something was awakened that should have died in eternal slumber.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Second try because something went wrong.

I know it may take some time for this post to get responses which is ok with me. I just wanted to describe myself, talk about my experiences, and hopefully gain different perspectives and ideas about how my identity is interpreted.
I have typed myself for a very long time, and is generally a type I return back to, as an ENFP sx/so 7w6 749, but I am also open to different perspectives of how my personality presents itself and how it is interpereted by the world. I often don’t feel like I perfectly match the description of this type. I’ve been open to different types (ENTP 7w6, ENFJ, INFJ, ISFP, INFP) but I feel like the enneagram associations and subtypes don’t match me well enough to be my main type. I feel that although I currently identify myself as an ENFP, I’m not the stereotypical version of one who is presented as wild, carefree, intrepid, insolent, rebellious. I used to be this type of person to an extreme extent, and still carry many of these qualities with me, but through maturation and observing the patterns of my own behavior which have been considered unflattering to others, I’ve learned that I was projecting an unfavorable image of myself in the past. My Ne was too strong with caused me to be at odds with my environment, and generate many unnecessary conflicts. I want to be as honest as I can in this post, and hopefully somebody here will be able to resonate with what I’m saying and feel understood.
So I’d like to describe my key characteristics, qualities, identifiers:

• I consider myself to be someone with a sx/so instinct. This is because I am a very artistic, sensual, passionate, and creative person who sees a lot of potential/possibility in everything. I am in my head a lot imagining things which aren’t tangible to the world. I imagine things which are abstract and of a separate dimension, because it helps me make art and extract all the beauty from the world which I can. This aspect of my personality also makes me very sexual, both physically and mentally, as I crave deep intimidate connections before anything else. I like presenting myself in ways which project sensuality, desire, and passion outward toward the world. I don’t mean dressing in a sexual way, but I mean utilizing my appearance to create an internal romantic image of myself. I like to dress in dark, sensual colors, florals, style my hair so it’s perfectly curly and romantic, perfect every aspect of external projections (my room, my appearance, my personality, and my art) to the degree of matching the emotions I feel and the intensity of my fantasy. I’m aware that this is a very 7 type narcissistic activity to engage in, because it assumes the role of inflating how the self is interpreted and is fraudulent in its presentation. It makes the self seem more significant and worthy of esteem than it actually is, but I also have some other traits which oppose my instincts.
• I want to experience my emotions deeply, completely, and fully throughout my whole body. I also want to be seen as a calm person who is worthy of respect. I don’t share my insecurities, my losses, or my misfortunes anymore. I’ve made the mistake of revealing my weaknesses in the past and I have made a vow to myself to never do that again. I also want to be calm internally, since falling into a victim role has been a behavior which I have identified with in the past, and I’ve realized it wasn’t going to help me in the social or economic world. I always want to be able to be strong in the world. I want to overcome my setbacks and remain optimistic, resilient, and strong-willed no matter what. I want to be able to handle the worst kinds of situations and not bat an eye, although it goes against my inherent instinct of Fi, since throughout my life I’ve gravitated towards intensity and feelings my emotions deeply. Whenever I was insulted, I would try to figure out every angle of the intent of the person, the future implications it has on me, and attempt to defend myself against any possibility of injury it could have towards my state of being.
• I am quite a social person around people who don’t like being as social, but I tend to be less out there when I’m around people who I know I am hesitant to trust. I love engaging with the world and learning about new people. I love people. I love excitement and energy. I also like figuring people out, their underlying motives and intentions, or just how they interpret the data from the world around them. I’ve been described as lowkey though, not really too quiet but not loud either. I find myself gravitated towards all things sexual and intense in nature, and I find myself tied to the physical world often. I like really physical and worldly music. I like expressing sensuality, energy, artistic depth, and beauty through my art.
• I am a physical person with an off the charts libido. This is why I hesitated to type myself as an INFP in the past, since the highest correlations of enneagram subtypes attached to this type are so4 and sp6. I feel like I am too grounded to the physical and intuitive to be either of these types. I am aware of what my body needs, but I don’t feel the desire to secure what my body wants first. I feel like engaging in some other activity which can accommodate the instinct of my racing mind.
• I have been very wild and crazy in the past and was the first to speak, first to act, first to initiate something, first to assume leadership. I have had to tone down my instincts because of the problems they were causing me in my every day life.
• I am organized, efficient, and methodical when it comes to something which appeals to my aesthetic tastes and sensibilities. I want to perfect something which is beautiful. This has helped to motivate me to move against my instinct and organize myself more.

This isn’t all there is, but I hope that hopefully somebody can relate and figure out alternative types. I feel like I fit within 7 enneagram as a broad description, but most things in life have nuance. Maybe I could fall within an alternative type which I haven’t researched enough about yet?

Look at this top loaded shank plate in the forefoot !! Look like rubber, on Nike they say hard plastic but I don’t know how hard it really is. It’s not gonna be very bouncy though. I hope the torsion support will be there. There is also the little piece of plastic in the outsole that helps. But this forefoot shank right below the insole…. Can’t wait for more reviews !

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

The huge alien vessel loomed into view of the lunar diplomatic station's windows. Jonah stared up at the immense black shape blocking out the stars, feeling an influx of mixed emotions. As Earth's chief ambassador, the responsibility for how this first contact went weighed heavily on him. He took a deep breath to compose himself as the airlock connected with an audible thunk.
The massive frames of the arriving Vrax nearly filled the chamber as the inner door slid open. Their dark brown exoskeletons glinted under the lights, and bulbous blue eyes regarded the humans with an unreadable expression. The lead alien, Ambassador Grax, extended a claw in greeting which Jonah cautiously shook. Through translation algorithms, Grax declared they came in peace and wished to forge a prosperous relationship.
The ensuing talks did not go as Jonah hoped. Grax demanded access to the resource-rich asteroid belts, along with tribute payments to the Vrax Empire. When Jonah protested that humanity could not simply cede sovereign territory, Grax's tone turned condescending. "Consider this a generous offer, given our technological superiority." Jonah bit back a retort, mind racing to defuse the situation.
That evening, the diplomats convened an emergency video call with world leaders back on Earth. "Their demands are outrageous and set a terrible precedent," declared the Chinese premier. "We must stand firm or risk becoming tributary vassals," agreed the Russian president. Arguments flew across cultural and ideological lines until Jonah called for calm. "Antagonizing them could provoke conflict. I say we request further dialogue to find common ground."
The next meeting with Grax did not go smoothly. No matter how Jonah framed alternative proposals, the alien remained fixated on tribute and territory. When Jonah stood his ground, Grax's eyes flashed red in a sign of anger unfamiliar to the humans. "Do not test our patience, Ambassador. Your world depends on our good graces." Jonah ended the talks with a bitter taste in his mouth, dreading informing the others.
That night, Jonah paced the station, wrestling with their disastrous options. Take on the Vrax fleet and demonstrate to the galaxy the true nature of humanity, or give in to their oppressive demands?
He heard footsteps and turned to see his second-in-command, Captain Sato, entering with a grim look. "Grax just issued an ultimatum - accept their terms within a solar day or face reprisals." Jonah's heart sank further at this escalation.
In an emergency session, viewscreens filled with tense faces as Jonah briefed the situation. Shouts immediately erupted over what to do, none of the viable choices appealing. Then, the elderly UN Secretary General spoke slowly and calmly. "My friends, while force will gain us nothing, weakness will see our sovereignty trampled. I suggest we issue one final, simple message - that any harm to humanity will be met with swift and overwhelming response. This buys time for diplomacy without losing face or firing a shot. All agreed?" The room fell silent, then gradually, nations signaled consensus on this last hope. Now it was in Grax's claws.
The news of the Vrax's demands spread like wildfire across the solar system. On Earth, massive crowds swarmed city centers, chanting "No tribute!" and "Off our world!". Even hardened military analysts conceded humanity had no means to repel a full attack.
Jonah watched the coverage, weary after hours of unproductive talks with Grax. The ambassador remained resolute, because Earths resources were required for the survival of the Vrax Empire. His mention of force cast a grim pallor over the room. As Jonah returned to the station, Captain Sato gave a grim update. Social media was swimming with calls to arms, governments debated reactive shows of military force.
An emergency UN session convened via hologram. Shouts echoed in the vast chamber as leaders demanded strategies. "Further concessions will destroy our dignity!" roared the Chinese premier. The Russian president warned a small deterrent strike could backfire catastrophically. "Our people will never accept subjugation," said the Indian foreign minister.
Jonah relayed his advice to find diplomatic solutions.
On the lunar station, Jonah stared up at the alien warship, praying his diplomacy to paid off. Whatever happened, Earth would not go down without teaching these newcomers, that humanity was not so easy to conquer.
Grax saw humanity's final desperate plea as a threat, that neither safety nor pride could ignore. Now there was nothing to do but wait.
On the Vrax command ship, Grax snarled as the human's message was translated. His blue eyes flashed red with rage. "Insolent primitives! They dare threaten the mighty Vrax Empire?" He stabbed a claw at his subcommander. "Launch the entire assault fleet at once. I want those upstart human colonies wiped from the stars."
The subcommander scrambled to obey, sending the order to the hundreds of ships waiting on standby. Throughout the armada, crew rushed to battle stations as engines roared to life. Within minutes, the full force of the Vrax military swung into a sharp intercept course, weapons priming for the slaughter to come.
Within the lunar station, alarms blared as long-range sensors detected the armada changing course. "They're heading straight for the moon bases at maximum speed," cried Captain Sato, studying the readouts in horror. Ambassador Jonah prepared himself and delivered a command: decloak only one dreadnought, and show Earth and the galaxy who we truly are!
Through the viewport, he peered into the black and saw a faint flare of light growing behind Earth's shadow.
On the bridge of the ESN Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched the enemy fleet emerge on her sensors, over 500 enemy contacts closing at dangerous velocity. "All hands to battle stations," she ordered calmly into the comm.
Around her, the crew leapt into well-practiced motions as blast doors sealed, and armor plating hummed into place. "Charge main kinetic barriers and plasma lances. Stand by rocket pods for intercept maneuvers."
Aoki felt the deck plates vibrate, as the massive engines thundered to life, pulling the Phoenix from its geosynchronous orbit in a burst of golden light.
Through the forward windows, the crew watched Earth fall away at dizzying speed, as the automated piloting system slammed the nose up, and spun the dreadnought to align with its intercept vector. By the time the first Vrax ships broke Lunar orbit, the Phoenix would be waiting.
On the lead Vrax cruiser, Grax glared at the sensor display, showing the lone human warship, accelerating to engage his fleet alone. "Impossible," he spat. "No single vessel could stand against hundreds. All ships!" he bellowed, "Concentrate your fire and crush that eyesore!" Around him, crew scrambled to comply, locking targeting solutions across the squadrons. But as the first energy beams, and plasma lances lanced out, they merely flickered off invisible shields, far stronger than their own.
As the first energy beams and plasma lances streaked towards the Phoenix, Commander Aoki watched their vivid colors, dim and disperse across the ship's energy barriers. "Damage report?" she asked curtly. "Shields holding at 99%", responded the sensors officer. While an unprecedented barrage for any other vessel, the Phoenix's armor could withstand an nation's worth of firepower for hours.
"Return fire, target lead enemy cruisers", ordered Aoki. Before the words left her mouth, flickers of light erupted from the Phoenix's forward batteries. Dual heavy plasma lances, intense as a sun's core, lashed out like spears. They sheared through the initial Vrax ships with brutal efficiency, superstructures evaporating within the star hot beams.
A spread of precision antimatter warheads followed, tiny singularities of annihilation blossoming into explosions that obliterated entire capital ships. Not a single shot missed its mark, targeting computers guided by an intelligence far superior to any the aliens possessed. Behind the initial devastation, dozens more Vrax craft spun out of control, dead in space.
A flicker of doubt entered Grax's mind at the devastation wrought by this single opponent. But he steeled his resolve, determined to outlast the human war machine through sheer numbers. "All ships jump to flanking positions, surround it and pummel the eyesore from all sides." Obedient to their instincts, the Vrax pilots executed precision micro-jumps that scattered their fleet in an immersive cloud.
Yet for all their coordination, the Phoenix's defenses and countermeasures were vastly more advanced. As waves of plasma and coherent beams lashed at it from every angle, point-defense cannons methodically picked off attackers. Not a single shot touched its heavily ablative armor plates.
Inside the hull, crew calmly went about their duties, the ship responding to their desires before they were even voiced. An autonomous parasite weapon was deployed, an obsidian spheres that swallowed incoming fire like a singularity. When satiated, it vomited the torn energies of a hundred ships back at their original vectors. Squadrons disintegrated under their own firepower.
Grax howled at the massacre unfolding, his vaunted fleet being picked apart ship by ship. Few commanders in history had witnessed the obliteration of an armada with their own eyes. Despite everything, Grax refused to back down until the Human war machine was itself destroyed.
He cried out the order for supreme suicide tactics, a final gambit to see them all go down together...
Twenty more Dreadnoughts decloaked around the battlefield´. Drax thoughts run through his head," Only suicide here will be his".
Surrender was the only Option!

Morrigan went to join her lily in her room, joining her apothecary in the making of their garden. She hoped it would calm her down, she hoped that she could smell that sweet smell again, she hoped that she could show her traitor son that he was wrong. She would show him that he was wrong, even if she had no idea how to garden.
Morrigan spent a lot of time working on the garden with her lily and apothecary, often without her armor. She wasn't sure how she would feel outside of her armor in the presence of another, but she grew to appreciate the opportunity. She noticed that the apothecary wore their mask less often around her, and even offered to help her with gardening. Morrigan refused, stubbornly insisting that she could do it herself, even though she was having no success whatsoever. However, even though she found the experience of gardening to be incredibly frustrating, it was also calming in a sense. The apothecary found this stubborn determination adorable in a sense. They had figured out what kind of flowers their lady liked and grew the ones that they liked best. It helped with their lady's unique smell, even though they had gotten somewhat used to it by now. They even started making perfumes, leaving them in their lady’s room without her knowledge. Morrigan loved the perfumes she knew her lily had made, but didnt say anything in case her apothecary would find out she actually liked them.
After much time and hard work, Morrigan finally got her first flower to bloom. It was a white lily, which she placed gently in the apothecary room, as a token. The apothecary found it rather touching, pinning their lady’s flower to their breast pocket, so they could carry it wherever they go.
The Primarch’s room would soon become a beautiful green space, so much so that Morrigan would often take off her mask when she was alone to smell the flowers and experience the work she and her lily had done. One day, while her lily was gardening, she handed them a new set of orders stating they would be moving into the room to better take care of the garden. The apothecary nodded, and moved their stuff into the garden, before returning to their work. They noticed that Morrigan didn't wear her mask anymore, and she never wore her armor in the garden. They didn’t ask their lady about it; they simply appreciated the trust.
Morrigan started bringing her Lily out of the garden more often, taking them on campaigns, to meetings and the like. Her sons questioned her intentions of bringing an apothecary during discussions of military matters.
“Mother, is it strictly necessary for the apothecary to be here? They have no training in the art of war, and they are not participating in the combat on the surface. I think it would be bes….”
Morrigan stared daggers at her son, her mask hiding the anger in her face. “The apothecary will stay. This way they can best prepare for the incoming casualties. That is final. Now let us continue planning the assault.” The apothecary smiled beneath their mask but made sure that this would be evident to their lady’s sons. They judged it would be best to not antagonize them.
After several successful campaigns, the Endurance once again returned to Barbaros, though as they arrived, they were greeted by another ship orbiting the planet. That ship was the Photep, flagship of Morrigan’s sister Magnolia. Morrigan had her vox master send a vox to her sister’s ship.
“Sister, what brings you here?” Morrigan said, questioning the intentions of her sister. She knew that Magnolia would not be here for a simple social call. She was here for something, probably knowledge.
“Sister! I am simply here to pay you a visit. I’ll arrive shortly.” Then the vox cut.
Morrigan gripped her scythe angrily. ‘That bitch’ she thought, ‘inviting herself, ignoring my questions. I’ll show her arrogant ass what for.’ She turned to her lily, her anger fading somewhat at the sight of her flower still pinned to her lily’s chest. “Apothecary, come with me. My sister may need some ‘assistance’ after I’m done with her.” Lily nodded, following quickly at the side of their lady as they made their way to the hangar.
Magnolia’s Stormhawk landed shortly after Morrigan and her Lily arrived in the hangar. Magnolia stepped out alone, a group of her sons waiting behind on the Stormhawk. Magnolia’s eyes were immediately drawn to the powerful psychic energy coming from the apothecary next to her sister. Lily could feel a strong probing psychic force in their mind, searching for information. Lily could also feel their lady’s anger and burning hatred. They gently placed their hand on Morrigan’s, before returning their hand to their side. Morrigan was shaken by this simple act, but she decided she would deal with it later. First, she needed to handle her sister.
Magnolia greeted her sister with a smile and gestured to the apothecary to Morrigan’s side. “Sister, what a lovely little psyker you have there. Have you finally changed your mind?” Magnolia said smugly.
Morrigan advanced upon Magnolia, ready to behead her sister for her insolence and arrogance. But once again, her Lily placed their hand upon hers. She knew it would be best to ensure they did not get hurt. “My Lily…!” Morrigan's voice, once angry, was now caught in her throat. Had she said it out loud. “Ahem, my apothecary is not a psyker. They are simply a talented apothecary, not a sorcerer like you. Perhaps your sorcery is failing you sister? Perhaps you could still see properly if you had both of your eyes.” She spat, her mask expelling gas in powerful blasts of anger. “If you have a purpose for your visit, state it. Otherwise get off my ship and return to your librarium sister.”
Magnolia, now frustrated, turned and left. “Your ignorance will bite you one day sister, that I assure you.” She said before her Stormhawk returned to her ship. She would find the knowledge she was looking for another way. Barbarus surely had knowledge that she could make great use of. She would just have to try and get it some other way.
Morrigan looked down at their Lily. They had held their hand the whole time, and it almost brought a smile to Morrigan’s face. “Let us return to our duties.” She said, letting go of her lily’s hand, and walked with them back to the garden. Morrigan couldn’t quite understand what emotions were going through her mind, so she focused on cultivating her plants, keeping her mind away from what she went through.
Nurgle was watching the two, smiling uglily. His plan would be put into place soon. Soon he would have the Primarch in his grips. He just needed to give her a little bit of a push. Targeting her apothecary would be of great benefit…

This story was inspired by the following prompt: https://www.reddit.com/humansarespaceorcs/comments/1cqvbwk/humans_are_known_for_building_veryvery_large/
General Kim was awakened from a sound slumber by klaxons. Years of military training kicked in and he was out of bed in record time. Checking the data pad briefly while pulling on his uniform he saw something terrifying.
“Attack in progress. Launch in 10:34.”
An attack? Who? Where? How? What kind? General Kim was soon out the door to his quarters. He was at his battle bridge before the launch countdown had reached 10:00. Similar scenes were playing out throughout the ship, as generals checked in with their battle bridge statuses.
In the ship’s primary bridge, two kilometers from General Kim, Admiral Sol looked at her command display with satisfaction. 100% readiness in less than two minutes. She was pleased. She addressed the 10,000 soul the crew over the PA system. “An allied colony is under attack by enemies unknown. Wormhole travel will take approximately twenty minutes and thirty-four seconds. Prepare for battle.”
General Kim scrolled through the scant field assessment data. There wasn’t much. A large multi-species colony was being bombarded from orbit. No signs of enemy ground forces. The primary wormhole comms array was out, but an old Subspace system was still functional after 120 years of dormancy. “And THAT,” said General Kim, “is what preventative maintenance is for.”
“General, sir?”
“Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Their W23 system is down but they’re still in touch using an SB-Class 3.”
“I think I’ve seen one of those in a museum!”
“Our grandparents saw them in museums. You make do on the rim.”
Launch and wormhole transit went off with clockwork precision. Soon, the ship exited its artificial wormhole. It was immediately bombarded by the unknown hostiles. Explosions of varying kinds went off on the ship’s hull, ripping gashes in her armor.
“Damage report?” Admiral Sol asked.
“Ablative armor at 97%. No other damage reports.”
“Excellent. Inform me when the preliminary weapons analysis is in.”
Meanwhile, the Admiral's counterpart in the invading fleet, Imperial Agent Skrald, was still screaming, “What is that THING?”
“I’ve seen moons smaller than that ship,” said one of his lieutenants.
“We have to have a record of it. You can’t build something that big in complete secrecy!”
“Imperial Agent Skrald, I think it’s the, “Blade of Scoth.”
“That ship’s an old myth! It can’t possibly-“
“We've carved a notch!”
“Send the biggest we’ve got,” the Skrald replied.
A “notch” was a divot in the ship’s hull of the right shape to prevent weapons files from glancing off the armor.
“We’re being hailed, sir!”
“Tell them we don’t talk to burnt food and end the transmission,” the Admiral replied.
Imperial Agent Skrald watched with glee as the missile made contact with the notch and detonated.
On her ship, Admiral Sol asked for another damage report.
“Lower-port ablative armor section 374 at 40%, pinata layer is fully exposed.
“Can it take another direct hit?”
“It was only a gigaton blast. One more should make a perfect crack.”
“Excellent. Order the candy away from the blast point just to be safe.”
“Already done ma'am.”
“Make a note to find out who gave that order so I can commend them on their quick-thinking.”
“Yes Admiral.”
While the invading fleet pivoted their attention to the new ship, a second Terran vessel, the “Rule of Two Rogers” exited its artificial wormhole on the far side of the planet. A swarm of smaller craft flowed from the ship into the atmosphere below.
Imperial Agent Skrald, ignorant of the “Rule of Two Rogers,” was shouting with excitement. “Hit it again! Fire another!” The second missile flew through space, connecting with the underlayer exposed by the last missile. At first, it looked like the ship was spewing out debris, but the debris started flying in formations and shooting at his ships.
On the human ship, the Admiral smiled with satisfaction as she heard the report, “Piñata 86 has been breached. The candy is flowing. I repeat, the candy is flowing.”
“All stations, fire at will,” she replied.
The eyes of Imperial Agent Skrald opened wide as the surface of the massive ship lit up with a multicolored array of missiles, lasers, torpedos, and something that seemed to fire AFTER destroying one of his ships.
“It’s a rainbow of death,” he said, shocked into immobility by the way his fleet was being erased. He came back to his senses when his ship was rocked by debris impact from his erstwhile fleet.
“It’s too big to land!” He yelled. “All ships to the surface! I repeat, all ships retreat to the surface!”
The debris tore off one of his ship’s nacelles. “Did we need that to land?” He yelled.
“Only to get home sir,” an officer replied.
“Good.”
Admiral Sol watched the battle with satisfaction. This was the Blade of Scoth’s first battle in over 100 years. As a descendant of the famous Ambasador Sol, she took her guardianship of the BoS very seriously. A report came up on her screen. The hostiles had been identified. It was one of the Naga Imperium factions, or they were at least using the faction’s ships, weapons and known tactics. “Bastards,” she muttered.
“Admiral?” Lieutenant Cutter said.
“Analysis says it’s the ‘Naga Imperium of the Bone.’ The colony's 20% Naga. They’re slaughtering their own. Have we established direct contact with the colony yet?”
“Not yet Admiral. They don’t seem to have any short-range communications working. We’re still limited to what’s coming over their old subspace system.”
On the planet below, Sally McCool, a Naga hatched and raised in the colony, like her parents and grandparents before her, looked to the night sky. The missiles had come down, glowing brightly as the stars before they impacted. Now, the bright glowing objects had become larger, but many were breaking up and vanishing into nothing. Were these larger bombs, or was the enemy tumbling out of space?
She watched with growing horror as one approached the ground near the south okra field. She took a deep breath, and braced herself to be vaporized by whatever was about to land. Unable to watch, she curled into a ball on the ground, hoping death would be quick. She expected a nuclear flash, obliteration before hearing the blast. Instead, she heard a massive crash, crumpling metal and exploding components, and a long grinding sound as something huge cut into the soil. A rain of stones and soil covered her.
Sally looked up, and took several seconds to process what she was seeing. It hadn’t been a bomb. It had been a ship, and it had just crashed into one of their fields, carving a huge channel as it ground to a halt. A cloud of smoke was rising. Suddenly, a disk-shaped ship shot through the cloud of smoke. She recognized it from her history classes and old war movies. A flying saucer, painted with concentric circles of red, white, and blue. It was a Steve. A Steve class fighter. They were special. Why were they special?
Another saucer flew overhead. This one was red and yellow.
Sally remembered why the Steve battle saucers were special. They were exclusive to a ship called “The Rule of two Rogers.” The Steves were for battle, and this red and gold ship, as it landed she remembered, “It’s a Fred!” She yelled. She waved her arms, calling out to the ship. “We have injured! We have injured!” The side of the saucer opened up, and a multi-species crew of medics poured out.
While medics swarmed the colony providing aid, the best day of Skrald’s life had turned into the worst in a matter of minutes. He looked around his battered bridge. Even the emergency lighting could only manage flickering glimpses of the sparking wreckage around him. The only functional display was informing him the sewage system had ruptured and was pouring into what remained of the ventilation system.
“Is anyone else alive?”
“I TOLD you it was the Blade of Scoth you idiot!”
Skrald straightened his posture as much as the sharp pains in his abdomen would allow. “How DARE you speak to a member of the Imperium that way! I’ll eat you myself for that!”
“Good luck with that. I’m surrendering to the colony.”
“THEY’LL EAT YOUR FLESH AND MAKE SHOES FROM YOUR HIDE!”
“How’s that any better than you eating me?”
Outraged at the insolence, Skrald lunged in the direction of the taunting underling, smashing his snout against a hunk of metal he hadn’t noticed in the dim, flickering light.
Hours later, sunrise came to the battered colony. Most of the fires in the colony proper had been put out, but some of the Naga wreckage was still burning bright. Emergency contamination domes had been put up over the upwind wrecks, to contain as much of the toxic smoke as possible.
General Kim was on the ground, commanding the cleanup crews from both ships. He’d taken a brief break from those responsibilities to speak to one of the captured Naga.
“The guy in the fanciest duds tried to eat you when we took you into custody. Why?”
“I used to be a pilot,” she said. “Until that moron weaseled himself into enough power to do THIS!” She opened up her arms, as if to gesture at everything around her. “The only reason I’m even here is because I objected to this madness. That royal waste of scales wanted to personally mock me when he won. He even put that in writing on the paperwork for my ‘Away Without Leave’ warrant.”
“Weren’t you on his bridge?”
“Yes. You look confused, or at least that’s what my translator is telling me about your expression.”
“I don’t have a lot of combat experience. Nobody does these days, but hand-picking someone for your bridge crew because they have no confidence in you sounds like a bad idea to me.”
“This whole mission was nothing but bad ideas.”
“Please, tell me more.”
Meanwhile, in the darkness of space, a third ship of Capybara / Human design moved silent and unseen. Complex sensor arrays had been tracing the path the invaders had taken, seeking their origin. Data flowed in on interstellar communications problems, often evidence of ships passing though communications tunnels. The Starship Peggy Carter and her crew were on the trail, and the ship had a reputation to uphold. Latin mottos had fallen out of favor decades before she was built, so her motto was written in English.
“Those we fail to defend, we will avenge.”

Album first: https://imgur.com/a/wj9xMdd (I've got no idea why you need to verify your age, I swear it's just boots)
Pics from the manufacturer: Pics
Why Mexican boots? Because I live in Mexico, and they are more affordable and easy to find than other options. Besides, I get to support local business, and that is a big plus for me. Obviously, English is not my first language, so bear with me.
Disclaimer: This review has been completely sponsored by my compulsive shopping. I have not received any free boots or discounts, but if someone wants to give a free pair of boots, my feet are ready.

Brand: Varonte

Varonte is a Mexican brand of shoes/boots with a made to order model. As far as I know, they don't ship outside of Mexico, but you can always ask. One of the advantage of these small brands is that they are really flexible.
These were my first boots and in general my first pair of goodyear welted shoes. I paid around $100 USD for these boots. Most of the shoes/boots they sell go for $100-$130 which is really cheap for a goodyear welted shoe.
Website: https://www.varonte.com/collections/catalogo
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/varonte_shoes/

The good:

These boots are made almost entirely of leather. Leather uppers, leather lining, leather sole with a half rubber sole. There seems to be a foam layer underneath the insole. They were comfortable right out of the box, no break in required. I liked the folded leather edges. The QC seems wonderful for the price point. Overall seems like really good value for the money.

The could-be-better:

The upper's leather seems really thin. I didn't find any information about the leather, but chrome-tanned for sure. There's no gusseted tongue, so It slips to the side. I'm sure that's not an issue with the boot per se, but I wish it had a gusseted tongue to avoid that. They had a hand painted patina that I wasn't a fan of, but I used a burgundy shoe cream and is much less noticeable now. The laces they came with seemed really cheap, I changed them for some waxed flat cotton laces from Amazon.

Would I buy from Varonte again:

Sure, great value for the price and several different models to choose from. If I had to buy from them today, I would contact them to ask for a custom shoe with thicker leather, no hand-painted patina, contrasting-color stitching and gusseted tongue.

The important questions:

Are they better than Thursday? No idea, I don't own a pair of Thursday boots but I will update the post once Thursday sponsors me.
What about sizing?>! These were my first boots, so I kind of screwed up and orderer my sneaker size. They are slightly big for me (maybe half size) but that's my fault. It's a D last for sure.!<
Would you say these boots are perfect for getting black-out drunk while drinking red wine? Yes, I think they would hide a red wine stain perfectly. Just wear them with some burgundy pants, bugundy socks and a burgundy shirt and you're good to go.

Younger hooper here, i am 175cm, 47 kg, im pretty fast and explosive with a 37 inch vert but very injury prone. I play the 1-2 position, mostly use change of pace, using a crossover or a pushcross to explode pass the defender and/or pull up into the midrange jumper.
I use my own insole(pic 3 n 4), something I recommend everyone to do, and recently got a full length carbon fiber insole.
What i want in a shoe that is low to the ground, has stability, is snug, wont slip out, good cushioning, and comfortable.
My favourite shoes all time are spo1+, kyrie 7, freak4 and kyrie infinity.
Poron Insole review: (US9.5) TTS Usage: 100+ hours (casually and on court) Tech: Poron on forefoot and heel, gel from heel to midfoot. Performance: Insole fits in all my shoes, provides better step in comfort, no arch support. The insole itself has good impact protection, but putting it in the shoe itself is hard because of the gel sticking to the inside of the shoe. Will try same shoe but with tpu plastic from heel to midfoot.
Result: A-
Carbon fiber insoles review:(US9.5) TTS Usage: 5 hours+ (casually) Tech: full length carbon fiber from heel to toe, poron in the heel. Bouncy rubber holds the carbon fiber in place, memory foam on top. Performance: Not much to say currently, will bring this on court soon but currently i am trying to break them in. Currently very comfortable, very bouncy but forefoot will hurt when you land, still has heel compression.
Result: N/A
When you buy the insole you get the size of the bigger size, ie eu43 has 44, eu 45 has 46
Doom GT Cut:(US9.5) TTS Usage: 10+ hours on outdoor and rubberized courts, not tried on wooden floors. Tech: React midsole with full length zoom stroble and thick zoom unit in the heel. Performance: This shoe is wow! Honestly I expected way less because of the reviews. The traction is incredible, never slipped out. Cushion is amazing! I had to replace the zoom strobel however because it deflated over time, within my second session(low rim dunk training). I would watch out for durability but these never caused any knee pain which is a plus in my book. The react midsole bottomed out quicky and molded to my footshape, no clue if retail does this. Lockdown is good, the tpu piece at the side helped with lateral movements. I never felts unstable in these. Pretty low to the ground. Comfort is another strong point, I would wear these casually.
Result: A
LeBron Next Gen EP:(US9.5) TTS/0.5 Usage: 20+ hours(outdoors, rubberized and wooden court) Tech: Phylon midsole with Zoom in the forefoot and heel. I loved this shoe because of its colour, but I feel that this is kind of a letdown but definitely a great shoe for outdoor hoopers. Traction is great outdoors and on rubberized courts but it slid out on wooden courts when i was doing crossovers and defending, which as a small and light guard is a huge no no. Cushion is the best part of the shoe, the zoom turbo in the forefoot is great underfoot, heel zoom unit feels great for comfort and impact protection. Definitely amazing for guards playing outdoors. Lockdown isn’t that good from side to side because of the materials making the side of your feet slightly over the base, making it feel like your hanging slightly and feels unstable. I want to say that the quality of the materials isn’t the best, and sometimes how the upper contains my foot makes the shoe feel bottom heavy and sluggish.
Result: B+
Son Of Flash: (US9.5)TTS Usage: 60+ hours all on outdoor court Tech: Two boom pods in heel and forefoot caged in cloud foam. Performance: This shoe is everything its meant for, definitely an outdoor beast. The traction is wearing away at hot spots already but for me to always reach for them before going out speaks for its performance. Traction sticks on concrete, no matter how dusty or rough, it never slipped out. Cushion is plush in the heel and reactive in the forefoot. You dont feel the boom underfoot but it does its job. Lockdown is great, it feels like a kyrie in terms of how it plays but one issue i have is that this is the only shoe ive sprained my ankle very badly in. I dont blame the shoe because my landing mechanics that day were slightly off because one defender kept going in my landing space but after the sprain i could never go 100% in them. This is another shoe i would rock casually, very comfortable and plays well outdoors.
Result: A+
All city 11:(US9) TTS Usage: 20+ hours(outdoors and rubberized courts) Tech: full length caged boom Performance: One thing i regret is not using them more, and getting my true size, this is the most kyrie feeling shoe after i trashed my kyrie 7 and infinity but i didnt like the fit being 0.5 size down. Traction is the same as the son of flash as it’s amazing on outdoors and rubberized courts. Cushion isnt very plush underfoot but its low to the ground and responsive, impact protection does makes me sluggish after more then 2 hours and makes me sore the next day, but great for outdoor players.
Result: A
Why Not 0.3 SE:(US9.5) go down 0.5 Usage: 10+ hours Tech: forefoot zoom turbo and phylon midsole Performance: This is one of the worse shoes I’ve tried. They are pretty stable and make me play fast but you need to have perfect body control to always land on your forefoot because the phylon at the back doesn’t absorb shit and you FEEL it in your knees when you land. Traction is decent outdoors but I wouldn’t use it outdoors, only rubberised courts and indoor, maybe light pickup to have fun, definitely not 4v4 half court or 5v5 full court. Fit is my favourite part of the shoe, wide foot friendly and super comfortable, materials are good too.
C+
WKB kobe 6(US9.5) TTS Usage:100+ hours on rubberized, outdoors and wooden courts. Tech: Zoom turbo in the forefoot and zoom unit in the heel, cushlon midsole Performance: These are my second favourite shoe, definitely will get more pairs once these completely die out. Traction is insane, no squeak but sticks and doesn’t collect dust. Cushion is very good also, I never felt sore after the game ever, it doesn’t help your bounce because it’s more like subtle in how it works. Lockdown and support is good, lateral support is excellent, but materials are stiff and doesn’t feel like retail. Anyone who gets this shoe I’d recommend wearing them around the house and double socking. This shit heats up, and break in time breaks your feet before the shoe breaks in.
Result: A+
Giannis Immortality: (US9) go TTS Usage:50+ hours Tech: phylon midsole Performance: lasted well before the cushion bottomed out, will probably get an insole for all my shoes that have no cushion so I can play in them. Traction is the best part of the shoe, sticks on wood, outdoors, rubberized, better then some of my retails, herringbone works guys. Cushion is decent but hurts my knees, don’t really recommend for anyone above 50 kg without a rotation. Materials is where it sucks, the upper tore in where my foot needs support the most and now I can feel it sometimes slightly tearing the more I play.
Result: D
DF kobe 5: Usage: 10+ hours on outdoor court. Tech: ??? All foam Performance: this is the worse shoe I own. Traction sucked even after cleaning but getting better slightly, cushion was okay for maybe 5 hours on court before it bottomed out, maybe an insole can fix it.
Result: F
Have not tried on Kai 1 or pg 6 but lemme just say Kai 1 is my favourite fitting shoe now, both are extremely comfortable, Kai 1 might be my new game day shoe
Ask any questions!

Hello everyone,
I'm at a dilemma here, I'm 6'6" and weigh 245 and wear a massive sized 14-14.5 sized shoes. . I have flat feet and I am a chef who stands for 8 hour shifts.
About 5-6 times a year , my feet will freak out on me , full blown inability to walk and it's usually a major pain in my heel . X-rays show nothing wrong with my feet.
I've purchased all the dam fads for shoes. Hoka, Brookes, New Balance slip ons , tried so many insoles that say they support flat feet.
I haven't tried the non neutronian fluid filled ones yet or even considered doctor prescribed insoles due to the laughable price tags.
I don't really have a budget , but I'd really like some solid suggestions on shoes that support flat feet and have massive shock absorbing capabilities for the heel. I will be buying new shoes every 4 months.
I'd also like to hear feedback on fluid filled insoles and if they are worth investing into, I see all these competitors for them and feel like there's a market saturated with Chinese BS products and it's hard to tell what's hype and what actually really works.
My feet are tired and I just want to have my feet stop this horrid trend of being unable to walk. I'm only 37 and this is ridiculous

Most of us walk every day (“hot girl” style or not), but how much strain could it be putting on our bodies? If you’ve ever walked a long (or even long-ish) distance in the wrong shoes, you know the answer.
After extensive research and analyzing features such as cushioning, arch support, traction and heel drop, I have created a list of best shoes for women to walk, run and do other activities.

Best walking shoes for women 2024:

1. Brooks Ghost 15 (best overall)
2. Skechers GOwalk Joy (best budget)
3. Hoka Arahi 6 (Best ultra-cushioned walking shoe)
4. Vasque Hiking Shoes (best for uneven terrain)
5. New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v13 (Best shoes with arch support)
6. Chaco Z/1 Classic (Best walking sandal)
7. Camper Niki Boots (Best stylish boot)
8. Adidas Ultraboost Light 23 (best for heel comfort)
9. Feiyue 1920 Fe Lo - Ivory (low-profile walking shoe)
10. VenusCelia Comfort Walking Flat Loafer (best loafer)

Brooks Ghost 15 - $110

These shoes are extremely stable, with a grippy outsole, for both speed walks and less intense jaunts along smooth and uneven surfaces. The cushioned EVA foam midsole absorbs shock during the heel strike (when your heel hits the ground), should you also do higher-impact aerobic stints, such as running. Overall, there’s little activity you can’t do comfortably in the Brooks Ghost, and it’s the shoe I now wear most consistently among all the ones tested.
The Ghost is equipped with a curved insole to reduce arch stress—which is great if you suffer from sore tendons, are flat-footed or stand for long periods of time. The Ghost also has a firm heel counter (the part of the shoe that wraps around the back of your ankle) to hold the foot in place and prevent over-pronation, or rolling your ankles.

Skechers GOwalk Joy - $50

These slip-ons from Skechers provide value way beyond what you might expect from a $50 price point. These shoes include an Ortholite insole, as well as a solidly cushioned midsole that can keep you comfortably upright for hours.
They’re lightweight and come with an extra padded heel for comfortable walking. The breathable mesh and insole also make for a lightweight shoe and the fact that they’re slip-ons makes them extra handy for getting out the door quickly.

Hoka Arahi 6 - $197

The Hoka Arahi 6 is a standout shoe for those needing stability. While not overbearing in its corrections, I found it super-comfy and fun to run in. It’s also one of the lighter stability shoes out there which is always great. With mild improvements over its predecessor, the Arahi 6 is a really nice option for your new daily shoe.

Vasque Hiking Shoes - $80

If your walks are taking you off-road (or off-sidewalk), a walking shoe designed for trekking through uneven terrain may be best. These low-top hiking shoes are designed specifically for walking and are our favorite women’s hiking shoes. Stephanie Harper, an outdoors enthusiast based in Asheville, North Carolina, reports, “They’re lightweight and form to your foot without risking stability.” With a waterproof membrane and thick rubber soles, the shoes will keep your feet dry and on stable footing in inclement weather.

New Balance Fresh Foam X 880v13 - $132

The 880v13 model is made with a 3% bio-based foam, derived from renewal resources, which is helpful for reducing the impact on the environment, especially since sneakers are an item that you have to frequently replace once they have worn out.
If you have arch issues, or flat feet, the 880v13 is padded to deliver support in that area, with a 10 millimeter heel drop that alleviates pressure so your foot is on an include, and not resting in a flat position all day. The uppers are made from a breathable mesh, which ensures your feet don’t overheat in these sneakers. I found them airy, lightweight and very responsive during my longest walks. The only negative is that collar, or opening of the shoe where your foot slides in, comes up quite high on the foot, which can cause some rubbing.

Chaco Z/1 Classic - $80

The American Podiatric Medical Association has recognized every model in the Z/1 series for promoting foot health. Undoubtedly, the comfort and support they provide for walking comes at least partly from their simple design. Matt Schonwald, a certified ski-mountaineering and avalanche guide and founder of BC Adventure Guides, recommends the Chacos specifically for their lack of extra features: “I do not like bells and whistles — they usually cause blisters, fall apart, or just underperform.” Paul Ronto of RunRepeat says the grippy sole is heavy duty and dense, giving you “confidence that your feet will grip on to the slickest surfaces.” And while the sandal’s design is pared down, Chaco also has a fully customizable option so you can choose everything from the logo badge to the sole to the footbed.

Camper Niki Boots - $210

The Camper Niki Boots offer a stylish blend of comfort and durability, making them a versatile addition to any wardrobe. Crafted with high-quality leather, these boots feature a unique, contemporary design that stands out. The cushioned insoles and robust soles provide excellent support for all-day wear. However, some users may find the fit slightly narrow, so consider sizing up if you have wider feet. Overall, the Niki Boots are a solid choice for those seeking both fashion and functionality in their footwear.

Adidas Ultraboost Light 23 - $140

The Adidas Women’s Ultraboost Light 23 stands out as the best walking shoe for heel comfort, thanks to its exceptional cushioning and responsive Boost midsole. These shoes provide excellent support and shock absorption, making long walks effortless and pain-free. The lightweight design and breathable Primeknit upper ensure a snug, adaptive fit while keeping your feet cool. Ideal for those with heel discomfort, the Ultraboost Light 23 combines innovative technology with sleek style, making it a top choice for comfort-conscious walkers.

When a woman says she wants a man that is handsome, it's okay, because attractiveness is subjective, so while one person might find you to be ugly, the next might think you're supermodel worthy. You can cope into thinking you're attractive until you find someone that actually thinks so.
When she says she wants someone muscular, it's fine, because you can always go to the gym, even if you don't now, you can start later.
If she wants a guy with a relaxed personality, you can be chill around her, if she wants someone hyper, you can be energetic around her. Personality changes depending on who you're with, so it's okay.
If a woman says she wants someone 5'11 at least while you are 5'6, you're gonna feel some type of way knowing that you're not even near that mark. The mark is objective and there's no way to gaslight yourself into believing that you can fit that standard. You are either under the mean average height, or not. This is not something you can ever change no matter what. Even if you got insoles, they come off eventually. Even if you got height lengthening surgery, good job, now you don't meet her standards for a healthy athletic guy because you'll never sprint again.

I recently ordered two pairs of shoes from Wendy (yellow new style Oran and blue tweed Chanel slingback). I requested both in 28cm insole. Neither measure as this even after she sent me measurement pictures (which I now think are purposely misleading). The Orans insole measure 26.5cm and the slingbacks are 27). I also ordered Orans from Wong around the same time to decide which seller and quality I liked best and I have to say on size alone Wong is better. Wendy’s are incredibly beautiful but I can’t wear them unless I want overhang. I am half tempted to order from her again with fingers crossed for the right size. Has anyone had better luck the second go round with Wendy? They’re really so gorgeous. It breaks my heart to not fit them.

like the title says...
unfortunately I'm developing foot and ankle issues as I get older and recently discovered Skechers Arch Fit shoes, both regular athletic shoes and golf shoes. they aren't the most stylish for sure but when you have foot/ankle pain and injuries that can put you out of commission for weeks or months, comfort and function come first.
the problem is that Skechers doesn't make many Arch Fit golf shoes, and even fewer in the wide or x-wide width. I used to wear Ecco S-Three's which I liked from a width perspective, but if you have wide feet and wear Ecco you know that many times their "wide" involves removing the insole so you get a wide shoe but with little support and practically no cushion.
Any Skechers Arch Fit lovers out there that also wear another shoe they like?

some basic rules for conduct on this sub:

And what, monks, is right speech?
Abstaining from lying,
abstaining from divisive speech,
abstaining from harsh speech,
abstaining from idle chatter:
This, monks, is called right speech.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN45_8.html
the greater explanation of wrong speech is here:

And how is one made impure in four ways by verbal action?
There is the case where a certain person tells lies. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty [i.e., a royal court proceeding], if he is asked as a witness, ‘Come & tell, good man, what you know’: If he doesn’t know, he says, ‘I know.’ If he does know, he says, ‘I don’t know.’ If he hasn’t seen, he says, ‘I have seen.’ If he has seen, he says, ’I haven’t seen.’ Thus he consciously tells lies for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of a certain reward.
He engages in divisive speech. What he has heard here he tells there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he tells here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus breaking apart those who are united and stirring up strife between those who have broken apart, he loves factionalism, delights in factionalism, enjoys factionalism, speaks things that create factionalism.
He engages in harsh speech. He speaks words that are insolent, cutting, mean to others, reviling others, provoking anger and destroying concentration.
He engages in idle chatter. He speaks out of season, speaks what isn’t factual, what isn’t in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, & the Vinaya, words that are not worth treasuring.
This is how one is made impure in four ways by verbal action.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN10_165.html
lying is intentionally speaking what we know not to be true, but there's also a higher-level of practice here: it is also intentionally speaking what we don't know to be true.
for example, stating that something is the truth, when we don't know that to be true is lying, and hence wrong speech. right speech is about developing moderation in our speech - putting limits and qualifications on it. hence, instead of saying "this is absolutely true and those who disagree are wrong" we can qualify with "according to the suttas". unless we're a noble one, we don't know the truth of the dhamma for ourselves - it just makes sense by reasoning. likewise, arguments about rebirth and linking consciousness and the meaning of specific words in the pali - in the absence of stream entry (and perhaps arahantship) we can't know the absolute truth of those words. we can have faith, but we should then speak from the position of faith, rather than knowledge.
however, for the buddha, even that level of practice isn't enough:

I do not say, brahman, that everything that has been seen ... heard ... sensed ... cognized should be spoken about.
When, for one who speaks of what has been seen ... heard ... sensed ... cognised, unskillful qualities increase and skillful qualities decrease, then that sort of thing should not be spoken about.
But when, for one who speaks of what has been seen ... heard ... sensed ... cognised, unskillful qualities decrease and skillful qualities increase, then that sort of thing should be spoken about.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN4_183.html
we shouldn't just talk about things we've experienced internally or externally unless there's a measure of benefit to this. does it increase our good qualities and decrease our bad ones? yes? then continue. if not, cease talking about it.
then there's a right time for saying things, and a right way of saying things:

Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless & unfaulted by knowledgeable people. Which five?
It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of goodwill.
A statement endowed with these five factors is well-spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless & unfaulted by knowledgeable people.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN5_198.html

Monks, speech endowed with four characteristics is well-spoken, not poorly spoken—faultless & not to be faulted by the observant. Which four? There is the case where a monk says
only what is well-spoken, not what is poorly spoken;
only what is just, not what is unjust;
only what is endearing, not what is unendearing;
only what is true, not what is false.
Speech endowed with these four characteristics is well-spoken, not poorly spoken—faultless & not to be faulted by the observant.

https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp3_3.html
speech that's harsh or said with a heart of ill will is obviously wrong speech. but the buddha's saying more here: to be blameless, we should speak with a mind of loving kindness, gently, fairly, with affection for one another, and in a well-spoken manner (there's rarely any need for profanity, especially in a forum that may be frequented by adolescents seeking to learn the dhamma). whatever is said should be spoken at the right time - pick your forum; if it need not be said publicly, then say say it privately.
a couple of other suttas of interest:
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/MN/MN58.html
https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN11_5.html
these subs are for the sake of spreading the dhamma. for us individually, they are an opportunity to practice. don't generate unskilful kamma by indulging in wrong speech here - it's better to say nothing that ruin your own good qualities. abstain from wrong speech (do no harm) as the bare minimum, but take it further, and practice right speech (do all the good you can).

I know it may take some time for this post to get responses which is ok with me. I just wanted to describe myself, talk about my experiences, and hopefully gain different perspectives and ideas about how my identity is interpreted.
I have typed myself for a very long time, and is generally a type I return back to, as an ENFP sx/so 7w6 749, but I am also open to different perspectives of how my personality presents itself and how it is interpereted by the world. I often don’t feel like I perfectly match the description of this type. I’ve been open to different types (ENTP 7w6, ENFJ, INFJ, ISFP, INFP) but I feel like the enneagram associations and subtypes don’t match me well enough to be my main type. I feel that although I currently identify myself as an ENFP, I’m not the stereotypical version of one who is presented as wild, carefree, intrepid, insolent, rebellious. I used to be this type of person to an extreme extent, and still carry many of these qualities with me, but through maturation and observing the patterns of my own behavior which have been considered unflattering to others, I’ve learned that I was projecting an unfavorable image of myself in the past. My Ne was too strong with caused me to be at odds with my environment, and generate many unnecessary conflicts. I want to be as honest as I can in this post, and hopefully somebody here will be able to resonate with what I’m saying and feel understood.
So I’d like to describe my key characteristics, qualities, identifiers:

• I consider myself to be someone with a sx/so instinct. This is because I am a very artistic, sensual, passionate, and creative person who sees a lot of potential/possibility in everything. I am in my head a lot imagining things which aren’t tangible to the world. I imagine things which are abstract and of a separate dimension, because it helps me make art and extract all the beauty from the world which I can. This aspect of my personality also makes me very sexual, both physically and mentally, as I crave deep intimidate connections before anything else. I like presenting myself in ways which project sensuality, desire, and passion outward toward the world. I don’t mean dressing in a sexual way, but I mean utilizing my appearance to create an internal romantic image of myself. I like to dress in dark, sensual colors, florals, style my hair so it’s perfectly curly and romantic, perfect every aspect of external projections (my room, my appearance, my personality, and my art) to the degree of matching the emotions I feel and the intensity of my fantasy. I’m aware that this is a very 7 type narcissistic activity to engage in, because it assumes the role of inflating how the self is interpreted and is fraudulent in its presentation. It makes the self seem more significant and worthy of esteem than it actually is, but I also have some other traits which oppose my instincts.
• I want to experience my emotions deeply, completely, and fully throughout my whole body. I also want to be seen as a calm person who is worthy of respect. I don’t share my insecurities, my losses, or my misfortunes anymore. I’ve made the mistake of revealing my weaknesses in the past and I have made a vow to myself to never do that again. I also want to be calm internally, since falling into a victim role has been a behavior which I have identified with in the past, and I’ve realized it wasn’t going to help me in the social or economic world. I always want to be able to be strong in the world. I want to overcome my setbacks and remain optimistic, resilient, and strong-willed no matter what. I want to be able to handle the worst kinds of situations and not bat an eye, although it goes against my inherent instinct of Fi, since throughout my life I’ve gravitated towards intensity and feelings my emotions deeply. Whenever I was insulted, I would try to figure out every angle of the intent of the person, the future implications it has on me, and attempt to defend myself against any possibility of injury it could have towards my state of being.
• I am quite a social person around people who don’t like being as social, but I tend to be less out there when I’m around people who I know I am hesitant to trust. I love engaging with the world and learning about new people. I love people. I love excitement and energy. I also like figuring people out, their underlying motives and intentions, or just how they interpret the data from the world around them. I’ve been described as lowkey though, not really too quiet but not loud either. I find myself gravitated towards all things sexual and intense in nature, and I find myself tied to the physical world often. I like really physical and worldly music. I like expressing sensuality, energy, artistic depth, and beauty through my art.
• I am a physical person with an off the charts libido. This is why I hesitated to type myself as an INFP in the past, since the highest correlations of enneagram subtypes attached to this type are so4 and sp6. I feel like I am too grounded to the physical and intuitive to be either of these types. I am aware of what my body needs, but I don’t feel the desire to secure what my body wants first. I feel like engaging in some other activity which can accommodate the instinct of my racing mind.
• I have been very wild and crazy in the past and was the first to speak, first to act, first to initiate something, first to assume leadership. I have had to tone down my instincts because of the problems they were causing me in my every day life.
• I am organized, efficient, and methodical when it comes to something which appeals to my aesthetic tastes and sensibilities. I want to perfect something which is beautiful. This has helped to motivate me to move against my instinct and organize myself more.

This isn’t all there is, but I hope that hopefully somebody can relate and figure out alternative types. I feel like I fit within 7 enneagram as a broad description, but most things in life have nuance. Maybe I could fall within an alternative type which I haven’t researched enough about yet?