#Best womens gi

[umairrizwan1]

Are there any recommended alterations for women's BJJ gis?

Introduction

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and ground fighting. As the popularity of BJJ continues to surge worldwide, the demand for specialized gear, particularly BJJ gis, has grown significantly. However, while the market offers various options for women's BJJ gis, many practitioners find that off-the-shelf options may not always fit their unique body shapes or preferences perfectly. This article aims to explore the recommended alterations for women's BJJ gis, considering both performance and comfort factors.

Understanding the Importance of a Properly Fitted Gi

In BJJ, a properly fitted gi is not just a matter of aesthetics but also crucial for optimal performance and comfort during training and competition. Ill-fitted gis can impede movement, cause discomfort, and even affect one's ability to execute techniques effectively. For women, finding a gi that fits well can be particularly challenging due to variations in body shapes and sizes.

Recommended Alterations for Women's BJJ Gis

Sleeve Length Adjustment: Many women find that standard gi sleeves are too long, leading to excess fabric that can interfere with grips and movement. Shortening the sleeves to the appropriate length can prevent this issue and provide a better range of motion.

Additionally, altering the circumference of the sleeves to ensure a snug fit around the arms can help prevent opponents from gaining advantageous grips.

Jacket Waist and Torso Adjustments: Women with narrower waists and broader hips may find that standard gi jackets are too loose around the waist, leading to a sloppy fit and potential vulnerability during grappling exchanges. Tailoring the jacket to cinch in at the waist can provide a more secure and comfortable fit. Similarly, adjustments to the torso area can address issues related to excess fabric or tightness, ensuring that the gi conforms to the body without restricting movement.

Pants Length and Waistband Modifications: Pant length is a common concern for women, as standard gi pants often come in lengths that are too long, requiring hemming to avoid tripping hazards and unnecessary fabric bunching. Additionally, alterations to the waistband can address fit issues for women with smaller or larger waist sizes, ensuring a secure and comfortable fit without the need for constant readjustment during training.

Shoulder and Back Width Alterations: Women with narrower shoulders may find that standard gi jackets have excess fabric in the shoulder and back areas, which can restrict movement and feel cumbersome. Tailoring these areas to fit more closely to the body can improve overall comfort and mobility. Conversely, women with broader shoulders may require adjustments to prevent the gi from feeling too tight or restrictive in these areas.

Fabric and Stitching Considerations: In addition to alterations to the fit, women may also consider the type of fabric and stitching used in their BJJ gis. Lightweight and breathable fabrics can help regulate body temperature and prevent overheating during intense training sessions. Reinforced stitching in high-stress areas, such as the sleeves and pant seams, can enhance durability and longevity, ensuring that the gi withstands the rigors of regular training and competition.

Benefits of Customized Alterations

Customizing a Womens BJJ gi to fit individual body types and preferences offers several benefits:

Improved Performance: A properly fitted gi allows for better range of motion, grip control, and overall mobility, enhancing performance during training and competition.

Enhanced Comfort: Tailoring the gi to fit snugly without being restrictive minimizes discomfort and distractions, allowing practitioners to focus fully on their technique and training goals.

Increased Confidence: Wearing a gi that fits well and flatters one's body can boost confidence and self-esteem both on and off the mats, contributing to a positive training experience.

Long-Term Investment: While custom alterations may require an initial investment of time and resources, a well-fitted gi is likely to last longer and provide greater value over time compared to off-the-shelf options that may need to be replaced more frequently due to fit issues or wear and tear.

Conclusion

In conclusion, recommended alterations for women's BJJ gis can significantly improve performance and comfort by addressing fit issues and accommodating individual body shapes and preferences. Whether it's adjusting sleeve length, jacket waist, pant length, or other key areas, customizing a gi to fit well can enhance the overall training experience and contribute to greater confidence and success on the mats. As the popularity of women's BJJ continues to grow, the demand for tailored gear solutions is likely to increase, underscoring the importance of recognizing and addressing the unique needs of female practitioners in the martial arts community.

FAQ’s:

Q1. Why is it important for women to customize their BJJ gis?

A: Customizing BJJ gis ensures a proper fit that enhances performance and comfort during training and competition. Off-the-shelf options may not cater to the unique body shapes and preferences of female practitioners, leading to fit issues that can impede movement and cause discomfort.

Q2. What are some common fit issues that women experience with standard BJJ gis?

A: Women often encounter fit issues such as excessively long sleeves, loose jackets around the waist, pants that are too long, and excess fabric in the shoulder and back areas. These issues can affect mobility, grip control, and overall comfort during grappling exchanges.

Q3. How can alterations to sleeve length improve performance in BJJ?

A: Shortening the sleeves of a BJJ gi prevents excess fabric from interfering with grips and movement, allowing for better range of motion and control during techniques. Additionally, adjusting the sleeve circumference ensures a snug fit that prevents opponents from easily breaking grips.

Q4. What are the benefits of custom alterations for the waist and torso area of a gi jacket?

A: Custom alterations to the waist and torso area of a gi jacket provide a more secure and flattering fit for women with narrower waists and broader hips. Cinching in at the waist prevents the jacket from riding up or shifting during grappling exchanges, reducing vulnerability and distractions.

Q5. Why is it important to address fit issues with pant length and waistband adjustments?

A: Proper pant length prevents tripping hazards and fabric bunching, while waistband adjustments ensure a secure and comfortable fit without constant readjustment during training. These alterations contribute to overall mobility and confidence on the mats.

Q6. What considerations should be made regarding fabric and stitching in women's BJJ gis?

A: Choosing lightweight and breathable fabrics helps regulate body temperature and prevent overheating during intense training sessions. Reinforced stitching in high-stress areas enhances durability and longevity, ensuring that the gi withstands the rigors of regular training and competition.

Q7. How can customized alterations to a BJJ gi benefit female practitioners in the long run?

A: Customized alterations may require an initial investment of time and resources, but they result in a well-fitted gi that lasts longer and provides greater value over time. Improved performance, comfort, and confidence contribute to a positive training experience and long-term success in BJJ.

[aloysarrow]

This is not a popular take, I guess, but Ei wasn't a horrible and irredeemable archon. If I've got the lore right (I did play the archon quest but it's been a while), she was an archon who put a puppet in her place but that puppet just more or less ruled normally I think? The vision hunt decree didn't even start until one year prior to the traveler's start at the beginning of the game and even then she genuinely thought it was for the best for her people. And when presented with evidence, she was rational and changed her mind away from rigid "eternity." Like she's not thoughtless. And even with Scaramouche/Wanderer, she decided to not use him because he had sentience? So like, good? Or at least neutral, yall can be mad that she essentially abandon her son but Albedo was abandoned by his creator too and yall aren't frothing at the mouth over his mom.

I don’t hate Venti (I don't care about him, really), but if crimes are crimes, bro literally allowed human trafficking, slavery, and human sacrifice to exist in Mondstadt while he fucked off for a few hundred years. Idc that he was sleeping lol, I think that's the story, dude is a god and he just abandoned his nation. Crimes are crimes right?

Like be equal in your hate for the genshin archons or just say you hate her personality lol. You don't have to like her personality lol

[arataka-reigen]

I love that the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home started vandalizing homes all over town in protest for the arrest of innocent women that were being arrested in her place and we all thought the sheriff's secret police were arresting the real one lmao

[sinswithpleasure]

You Can Watch, But You Can't Touch [At Least, Not Yet]

Tokyo, a city that never sleeps. 

You've been a regular participant of the bustling nightlife for years, being a bartender for one of the most famous bars along Golden Gai. Many famous patrons have come and gone—you've hosted not only Japan's best, but Hollywood's best as well, and with the way you conduct your business—sweet talking the patrons whenever they strike your fancy—you're no stranger to bedding some of these celebrities. However, you may have just gotten yourself the opportunity of a lifetime.

"Hngh, my God~!"

"Mmf, aah, fu~ck~."

"Oh fuck yes, yes…"

You have no idea how you'd managed to sweet talk your way into the situation you were in now. You're in the suite of five-star Park Hyatt Hotel, in front of TWICE's Myoui Mina, Minatozaki Sana, and Hirai Momo. All three women are naked in front of you, and you're not wearing any clothes either, all of you having discarded your clothing on the way in. 

"Come join us here, Takagi~." Sana's saccharine voice, dripping with sexual desire, calls you forth to get on the massive bed, where all three women lie side by side. You don't know where to look—all three beautiful Japanese goddesses have their hands between their legs, fingers plunging deep into their dripping pussies. You field a glance towards all three women, and your cock twitches when Sana returns you a wink, Mina licks her lips after staring at your hard cock, and Momo blows you a kiss. Precum drips from the tip as you watch Mina fondle her breasts, soft moans escaping her lips as she tugs at a nipple between her fingers. 

Wet squelches echo around the room, mixed with the varying sets of moans. Sana is unabashedly loud, her sweet whines and moans music to your ears, going straight to your cock. Momo's pleasure is vocalized in her low sultry voice, every thrust of her fingers into her dripping cunt punctuated by a low hum. Mina is the softest amongst the three, just as she would be, but she sounds no less sexy—her angelic voice is something you've enjoyed whenever you listen to TWICE's music, but here, that same voice conquers your mind through soft, breathy moans. 

"Takagi~," Mina's moan of your name has you twitching once more, your cock at its stiffest. You shift closer to the three idols, and Mina stares intently at your cock as you move, her fingers plunging faster into her cunt. 

"Takagi, please join us, mmf~... Join us and stroke your cock for us, please~!"

There was no way you were denying yourself the relief you needed, and neither would you deny Mina the pleasure of having her request fulfilled. You grab your cock and slowly lather your precum across your length before gently stroking your cock for the idols to watch. You softly grunt as the pleasure seeps into your system, and you watch as the eyes of all three women burn with lust at your display. 

"Takagi, who's your favourite out of the three of us?" Momo's signature low voice cuts through your pleasure, and you turn to look at the oldest of the three. The oldest girl has one hand on her left breast, and she kneads it gently, the flesh spilling from between her fingers. You're momentarily stunned by that display—to see Momo's huge breasts like that so intimately, you'd be an idiot not to enjoy it for as long as you can

"Answer me, Takagi~. Momo-onee-chan's waiting~." 

"I— I…" You're unable to even formulate any coherent sentence—Sana chooses that moment to moan your name, which draws your attention to her. She flashes you her million-dollar smile, ever full of mischief, promising nothing but seduction in this instance. You're fully aware you're being toyed around by the three Japanese megastars, but you're powerless to protest, and neither do you wish to as well. 

"Ta. Ka. Gi. Answer Momoring's question, please~."

"I…, oh God, fuck—" You partially moan out of pleasure, and out of indecision—not on who's your favourite, but on whether your answer would have any repercussions. Tonight could go anywhere—the only thing you'd known was that you were chosen by MiSaMo to be their sexual partner for tonight, but you weren't sure about the details. Even on the extremely short drive here to the Park Hyatt from the bar, all you were allowed to know about tonight's experience was that you would "enjoy tonight thoroughly and fully", or so Sana said. 

"Please tell us, Takagi?" You have no idea how Mina manages to look cute as she puts on her aikyo (愛嬌) for you even as she's fucking herself, pouting and whining while her fingers plunge deep into her pussy and draw more and more of her arousal to stain the sheets below. You nearly cum at the sight, and all three women giggle when you rip your hand away from your cock, your hips jerking as a few drops of hot, thick semen drip from your tip. 

"Oh, Minaring, look at what you've done!" Momo giggles in amusement, bumping the youngest of the trio with her elbow. "You've just made Takagi cum a little."

"Guess we know who's the favourite now, Momoring~."

You're absolutely embarrassed—you thought you'd be able to edge yourself, but Mina just being herself has you unable to control yourself fully, and you'd just lost a bit of your precious load you were saving for them. Sana must have sensed your disappointment. 

"It's okay, Takagi. Minaring has this effect on people. I'm sure you have more cum in those big balls for us, don't you~?"

"Y-Yes!" Eager to prove, to please, you begin to stroke yourself again, this time reaching below to fondle your balls as well. The low groan you let out draws giggles from the stars opposite you, and you open eyes that you'd closed in pleasure. In front of you, Mina has changed her method slightly—she rubs circles on her clit, her pussy still leaking and dripping. Next to her, the whirr of a vibrator starts up—Momo holds a Hitachi wand to her clit, and she throws her head back, moaning, her free hand on Mina's leg now after letting go of her breasts momentarily. Now, you get to look at the oldest girl's breasts without any obstruction—she arches her back at a particularly strong burst of pleasure, and you gawk at her heaving breasts jiggling as she bucks her hips, deep moans serving as vocal evidence of the sexual relief she enjoys. Sana is the only girl still fingering herself, but now she has three fingers in her, her eyes switching between you and her group mates, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she whines and moans in pleasure watching everyone else masturbate together with her. 

"Takagi…" Mina's call for you is breathy, shaky from the pleasure coursing through her veins. You're forced to rip your hand away from your cock again, lest you tip over the edge. This does not go unnoticed—Sana and Momo are giggling again at your obvious weakness for Mina. Mina continues, unfazed. "Let's—mmf~—strike a deal." 

"W-What?" You're dying to hear what Mina has to say. It'd probably be worth it, but you know that it'd probably be difficult, considering your current situation. 

"If… If you—oh~!—you last… l-longer than the three of us, we'll—fuck—I…" Mina trails off as she pushes her fingers back into her cunt again, before pulling them out. 

"What she means, Takagi…" Sana takes over for their youngest. "...is that if you manage to edge yourself until all three of us have enjoyed our orgasms, you'll get to fuck the three of us."

"A—Are you sure?" You can't believe your ears—this sounds too good to be true. 

"Are you calling me a liar?" Sana's grin promises she isn't offended—she's just teasing, as usual. "Of course we're sure. If you last long enough, we'll fuck you. One by one, in any position and hole you want."

"We'll even go again, if you can keep up." Momo adds on as she winks, her vibrator turned off for this negotiation. "Something tells me you can."

"Takagi." Mina's soft call gets your attention. "If you finish last, I'll fuck you first."

You'd have been a fool not to agree. The three idols grin, and Momo's vibrator clicks on again as you begin to stroke. This time, a second and third whirr join the first—Sana has another Hitachi wand in her hands, and a dildo in the other. She pushes the dildo in her as the toy comes into contact with her clit, and she lets out a long moan at the pleasure. Next to her, Mina also now has a vibrator—a dildo with a clit massager—and she toys around with it, stimulating herself with different angles. All three women moan your name, staring at you, blatantly displaying their desires and fantasies as they pleasure themselves, and you jerk yourself hard and fast at the sight in front of you. Precum coats your tip, and you spread it all across your cock as you jerk, eyes locked on the idols in front of you. You feast on the sight of Sana and Mina with their arms pushing against either side of their breasts, squeezing them together, before looking at Momo's massive chest jiggling as she writhes in pleasure.

"Takagi, oh God~." Momo calls for your attention. "I want your cock in me so bad, fuck…" 

"Oh yeah?" You can't help but indulge in the dirty talk. "What else?"

"I need that cock shooting into me, Takagi. I love the feeling of it, the warmth of semen filling me up." Momo begins to finger herself again as she turns up the vibrator. "Especially when these two watch me take it."

A blush spreads across Mina's face at Momo's words, whereas a smile spreads across Sana's. 

"That's right, Takagi. Momo lo~ves being bred by thick hard cocks like yours." Sana grins even as she fucks herself, her sentences punctuated by the occasional moan. A pout forms on her face at the next sentence. "And she always wants us to watch, because she loves making us jealous." 

"Don't lie, Sattang. You love watching me cum on hard cocks as much as you love cumming on them too." Momo's rebuttal has Sana giggling, and your brain is filled with the thought that this was a regular occurrence. You groan at the thought, your cock twitching as more precum bursts from the tip. 

"Oooh, Takagi liked that, Momoring~." 

"Mmm, of course. Bet you he's wondering how many men we've fucked like that."

Your eyes betray your curiosity—something all three girls pick up.

"We're not kissing and telling, Takagi~." Sana's quick to tease. "But I'm going to say… the most we've had was sex with three different men at the same time each, one after the other." A wink accompanies the reveal, before Mina moans again. She is clearly revisiting the experience—

"Oh yes, those three…" Momo joins in to add further context, just to rile you up further. "Their cocks were just as long and thick as yours, Takagi. They fucked us so good that we weren't able to get up for a while."

The image of Mina, Sana, and Momo next to each other, semen dripping from their used pussies, naked bodies glistening with sweat as they are right now, nearly has you cumming. You once again edge yourself, whimpering at the denied orgasm. 

"I think you'd be happy to know that our Minaring here…" Sana fields Mina a glance, "...liked it the most. Every time she came…"

Sana's voice drops low, as if to let you in on a secret.

"She squirted all over her partners."

"Oh f—, no, no!" Your cock visibly twitches at the imagery of Mina's squirting orgasm, and to both your pleasure and disappointment, you're barely able to finish your speech before spurts of semen burst from your tip, your orgasm hitting you like a truck. Shot after shot of semen sprays through the air, with your first five shots spray onto Mina's body, and the next five spraying all over the bedsheets, more semen firing from the tip.

The moment your hot semen sprays all over Mina's breasts, tummy, thighs, and ass, the youngest Japanese girl shudders, eyes rolling back in her head in a picture-perfect ahegao. She orgasms hard—the toy in her pussy is expelled out of her body onto the bed as her hips buck hard, and a long gush of squirt showers everyone on the bed. Burst after burst of Mina's juices rain over you, and your cock twitches again, just a little painfully after that intense orgasm. The Japanese girl writhes, shudders, and bucks as her orgasm takes her, and when she falls still, a panting, exhausted, sweaty mess, you can see the satisfied grin on her face, her eyes meeting yours. 

"Takagi, you failed." Momo's the first to get up, and Sana follows after. Both girls stop pleasuring themselves, and they share a look to each other before grinning. 

"I see you're still hard." Sana licks her lips at the sight of your cock, strings of semen clinging to the tip. "A pity we're not going to be able to help you with that…" 

You must've looked so pathetic and lost that Sana and Momo end up giggling at your predicament. All is lost, you think, until Momo speaks. 

"We'll give you one more chance, Takagi. Would you like that?"

"Y-Yes, please, anything!"

"Hehe, so eager and needy for our pussies…" Momo bites her lip, eyes raking over your body. "You're lucky we want to fuck ourselves on that cock as much as you want to pump our tight cunts full of cum."

Both girls give their youngest member a look. Mina is at her sexiest right now, her wanton body spread open for everyone to see. Her pussy clenches on nothing, slick dripping from her hole, semen staining her thighs, ass, and body. The afterglow of her orgasm is evident—she looks so fucking hot like that. 

"Since Mina offered…" Sana turns back to you with a bright smile, not unlike those you'd see on variety shows, or in TWICE TVs. "If you can show us how well you can fuck her, we'll fuck you."

You need no further invitation. Mina welcomes you eagerly when you crawl over—she spreads her legs wide for you, and she begs you with her eyes and hands. The look she gives you is of pure submission, and you look below to see her spreading her pussy open to welcome your cock. Both Sana and Momo crawl up to either side of you, and they watch you rub your hard cock against Mina's pussy, drawing soft moans from her. 

"Takagi, in me, please~!" Mina's quick to beg, the desperation eating away at her patience.

"Put it in, come on." With a soft push on your back, you penetrate Mina for the first time. Mina loudly moans as you stretch her walls—she's a tight fit, but you slide in with not much resistance, with how wet she is. Inch after inch, your cock disappears into her, and you swear you're in heaven. The pleasure you derive from her walls squeezing you, mixed with the natural scents of Sana and Momo beside you has you almost delirious—you can't believe this is truly happening. When you hilt, you groan loudly, and Mina whines as your cock twitches deep in her. 

"Go on, fuck her. Show us how a man like you fucks a woman, Takagi."

You're unable to keep your groan soft when you pull out of Mina's cunt and thrust back in. Mina joins you in vocalizing her pleasure, and she pulls you in to plant her lips on yours. You're surprised, naturally, but you adapt quickly—soon enough, her tongue is against yours in a hot, openmouthed kiss. You begin to pick up the pace—slow thrusts grow quicker, though you're still ensuring to keep it soft to let Mina adjust to the stretch. 

"Faster."

At Momo's command, you begin to increase the strength of your thrusts. The claps of your pelvis against Mina's ass are steadily getting louder, just as Mina's moans do as well.

"Takagi, fuck her. Make her scream." Sana crawls next to you, her low whisper next to your ear. The hot breath against your skin has you shuddering. "Look at Mina, moaning like that whenever you stretch her. She loves it, wants it, needs it, even craves for it." Sana's smile is audible in her speech. "So fuck her."

Momo is next—you feel her breasts press against your back, and she grabs you on your hips, her lips just right next to your other ear. You're starting to get dizzy with the pleasure of all three women being this close to you. Sana nibbles your earlobe, and Momo kisses you on the neck, leaving little hickeys trailing. 

"Look at her, look at how you're bulging her tummy. Look at how wide she spreads her legs for you, how much she begs you to fuck her. Come on, fuck her like you mean it."

You finally give in to your baser desires. You send thrust after thrust into Mina, the strength of each snap of your hips only increasing. The young star beneath you cries out in pleasure as she writhes, shakes, trembles at the sensations that course through her. 

"So big, so good, Takagi~!"

Mina's name might as well have been a mantra, with the claps of your body meeting hers keeping the tempo. You're not able to do much of anything else—her tight walls squeeze you just right, the warmth of her body wrapped around your shaft only enhancing the pleasure of sex with her. You only fuck her faster and harder when you have bursts of energy, and when you hear both Sana and Momo join Mina in moaning, you open your eyes to feast on the sight of all three women in pleasure, be it through toys, or you.

"Yes, just like that, fuck her, yes!"

"Mmf, Takagi, keep going~!"

Mina's call for you comes a second later. 

"You heard what Sattang and Momoring said, Takagi. Please use me, fuck me, make me scream!"

With these final instructions, you begin to pound Mina. The other two women clearly appreciate this—they finger themselves harder, moans more drawn-out, and Mina, most of all, loves it. You feel her walls tighten and get wetter around you, and her moans grow in frequency and pitch as she draws closer and closer, the claps of sex louder and louder—

"TakaGI, I'M—!!"

Mina never finishes her sentence—she wails in pleasure instead as she hits her peak. Her hips buck hard, and squirt gushes into the air as your cock falls out of her, twitching hard. You were close, so close, and you grip Mina forcefully by the hips to hilt back into her. The feeling of her squirt gushing against your body paired with the tight squeeze of her walls as well as the friction of penetration causes you to explode deep within her. You freeze as your thick, hot semen paints Mina's walls and womb white, blast after blast of your cum shot deep into the youngest's body. At the same time, Sana and Momo orgasm right next to the both of you, twin jets of squirt showering both you and Mina as you ride out your orgasms. 

When you pull out from Mina, exhausted, you fall onto the stained sheets, uncaring of where you lie. Immediately, your semen bubbles out of Mina's freshly-used cunt and drips down her skin, and both Sana and Momo reach between their youngest's legs to taste your cum. 

"Mm, Takagi, you're delicious…" Sana licks her lips as her eyes twinkle, and Momo only grins at you, her stare just as lustful. 

"Good job, Takagi…"

Both Japanese women tug you, and they lead you to a drier part of the bed. They both take turns making out with you, and you're ready to go in a matter of minutes. 

"I see you're ready~." Momo takes her position as she straddles you and lines your cock up to her cunt. Sana swings a leg over your face, and you know you're in for even more fun. 

The last you remember is Sana and Momo sinking down on you, and at that moment, you swear that Heaven is a place on Earth.

[falciesystemessays]

I honestly think that Dizzy's entrance to Guilty Gear Strive should be as much of A Moment for plural systems as Bridget's was for trans women. The character's not out yet, but every bit of promotional material for the character points in a very promising direction. So for people who don't go here, or who have only played Strive, allow me to tell you why a character trailer for a three-year-old game put me on the verge of tears.

For some quick context, plurality in a person is essentially the state of having multiple entities in one's head. The most commonly known form of this comes from having dissociative identity disorder, formerly known as multiple personalities. But plenty within the plural community (including me) have a broader umbrella for the term. The main terminology you'll want to know for this is that a "system" is a group of entities within one body (I for example am part of the Fal'cie System), and "aspects" are entities that aren't quite separable from the host, because they're the manifestation of specific parts of them. For the record I am very aware of how buckwild this sounds to an outsider, and I frequently get existential about it. A lot of characters in anime and games are incidentally plural due to their layers of fantasy nonsense. Some examples of this in action are Yami and Yugi from Yu-Gi-Oh, Sora gaining Ventus's heart in Kingdom Hearts, and the explicit dissociative identity of the Storyteller System in Ace Attorney.

Now then! To sum up Dizzy's backstory real quick, Dizzy is a Gear, basically a living weapon, and the daughter of original antagonist Justice. Most of her character up until this point has been desperately trying to cover that and live among humans, to... mixed avail. In the series' story mode she manages to start a family with the human deuteragonist Ky Kiske, who loves her a lot despite formerly being one of the best Gear-slayers. Ky is such a wonderful character, because throughout the series we see him go from hating Gears to tolerating a few of them to having a kid with one and actually becoming a little bit Gear himself. But this essay isn't about Ky Kiske.

In actual gameplay, as in the 1v1 fighting game battles, the main thing stopping her from relative normalcy is her two wings, Necro and Undine. The reason I say this character is a plural dub is because these wings are actually aspects of Dizzy, Necro being her rage and Undine her compassion. A lot of Dizzy's attack animations in Guilty Gear XX (the one where I've played Dizzy a lot) actually have Necro doing violent things while Dizzy herself is either distracted or afraid. This continued in Guilty Gear Xrd, where her instant kill move (every character gets one) has Necro unleashing a fuckoff gamma ray while Dizzy begs him to stop. Worth noting also that gamma rays are one of the moves her mother Justice used. Dizzy and Necro have clearly not been getting along, and while it's fun as a fighting game character bit, there is a certain level of sadness to it.

But in Strive? Oh my god, she looks so happy now! So at peace with herself and with her system. Lemme just rattle stuff off right now.

-Dizzy's attack animations all put her in control. Necro and Undine do a lot of fighting still, but never without Dizzy's control. They are fighting in tandem.

-Dizzy's victory animation has her hold out two hands. Undine naturally puts her whole hand onto one, and Necro finally puts a single finger on the other with a smile.

-Their super move, Gamma Ray, starts out with Necro and Undine firing a beam, and Dizzy getting scared. But after glancing at them and realizing it's okay, she joins in on the beam attack.

-She has a new move now, Michael Sword (Pronounced Mik-hai-ull), a full-screen slash that Justice used to have, indicating that she's come to terms with her origins and wants to use them for good.

-God, her opening animation and taunt where she communes with the animals like a Disney princess. Her new beautiful design. Her new theme song! She has never been this happy in her life!

The thing is, right, I can imagine people saying that this character growth isn't remotely the same kind of moment as Bridget's, because Dizzy's whole thing is based in sci-fantasy that could never be real in the same way that like, dissociative identity is real. Plenty more would deny that plurality exists at all outside some deluded roleplayers. And, I mean, was series director Daisuke Ishiwatari really thinking about people like me when choosing to take the character this way? I don't know, honestly. But I do know that Dizzy's character arc is authentic, to me. If there's one thing Guilty Gear Strive's story is really good at, it's giving long-suffering characters some well-earned peace. And if this is how Strive Season 4 is starting, I can't wait to see what they do next.

[snazzilystoopid]

Kai Smith-Jiang Headcannons!

Here's Kai next! Enjoy!!

Starting off, I headcannon that he's Chinese and Polynesian

He's definitely gym buddies with Cole but just can't be bothered to commit to working out all the time

The guy's lazier than you think lmao 😭

He's got burn marks up his arms, and he also has a high pain tolerance, especially when it comes to burns

He loves spicy food

You can literally cook stuff on his skin

Great to be around during winter, not so great during summer

Dating Skylor Chen, but they always argue over the pettiest things most of the time

Don't get him wrong though, he loves her sm and they usually make up like 15 minutes after because Kai craves her attention lol

He's bi, he actually was commonly asked out alot by both men and women

Pro at skateboarding

Nya's his no. 1 best friend and he'd do anything for her

He didn't actually have a proper education, because he had to look after Nya in the absence of his parents

He goes through half a tub of gel every couple days

Most famous ninja, he's an influencer and probably has half of Ninjago following him on Chirp

Lloyd is like a little brother to him, and he always looks out for him

If anything ever happened to Lloyd or Nya, Kai would instantly blame himself

He has two ear peircings on each ear, one of them always matches with Skylor's

This man will swear in almost every sentence he speaks, he's just so pissed at everything all the time

His favourite thing to do is just ride around on a motocycle just for the feeling of wind in his face and hair.....no he doesn't wear a helmet

And YES he legit thinks that he's a movie's main character and everybody else are just extras

He owns a leather jacket that used to belong to his dad, Ray, and he'll wear it literally everywhere when he's not wearing his ninja gi

Thanks for reading !! <33

[linkspooky]

Hello👋

Do you have an opinion or analysis of Johan from Yu-Gi-Oh GX?

I love his Character💕

My opinion on Johan is I love him lots. The only reason I didn't include him on my previous season 3 posts is that there's so much to talk about with Johan he basically requires his own post. Johan is just as important to Judai's development in season 3 as Yubel, both alchemically and thematically.

So let's embark on another long, long post for Johan and his role in the story.

The Golden Shadow

Before we deep dive into alchemy let's talk about Jung. Jung's theories of analytical psychology is heavily based on Alchemy so this is relevant, I promise. Freud and his contemporary Jung both pioneered the field of psychology together, however Jung went deeper and believed that re-occuring character archetypes and motifs in stories told us something about the human subconscious itself.

For Carl Cung, "the rediscovery of the principles of alchemy came to be an important part of my work as a pioneer of psychology". Jung linked the steps of alchemy several a process of turning lead into gold as a metaphor for individuation.

Individuation is essentially becoming one's self. Jung believed for a person to be whole, they had to integrate all the parts of their personality. His model divided personality into the the persona (the face / exteral world) shadow (the internal / the subcosnscious where everything's hidden), and the anima and animus made of feminine and masculine traits.

In a show like Yu-Gi-Oh GX, individuation is the process of growing up. Jung used alchemy as a metaphor for a developing person's ego maturing, each stage representing a different aspect of his divided conscious. Nigredo is where we become aware of our shadows, Albedo refers to the anima and animus, citrinatis is where sophia the wise old man or women appears, and rubedo is where the self becomes whole.

Johan however, represents two concepts I've left out. Sometimes alchemy is not four stages, but rather five.

The fifth stage is the Peacock's tail, which appears when a person receives a flash of inspiration. Unlike other stages of alchemy associated with color, Peacock's Tail is referred to as the prismatic stage, associated with the colors of the rainbow. The connection to Johan who's signature card is the Rainbow Dragon is obvious.

More on the prismatic phase in the second half of this power however. For now all you need to know that like the star card in Tarot, Johan is a dazzling light of inspiration that helps kickstart Judai's development. The way he does this is by giving Judai someone to aspire to be like.

If the process of aclhemy is to create gold and become your best self then Johan is the golden shadow, to Judai. His role in the story is to help guide Judai into being his best self.

While the shadow is made up of parts of ourselves we hide from others, sometimes these are positive qualities. For example, a character with low self-esteem like Sho Marufuji constantly put himself down and therefore he's never able to see his good qualities because all he ever focuses on is how he's lackluster in comparison to his brother.

If Yubel represents the worst of Judai's flaws that he must learn to accept so he can learn to love himself in spite of those flaws, Johan represents the best in Judai. While Judai has many flaws that are glossed over in the first two parts of the show, I'd also argue he doesn't experience any positive growth. He's entirely stagnant as a character, which is why I say the opening to season 3 and the immediate introduction of Johan is what kickstarts his development.

The banner image I used for this post is where Judai and Johan are doing the Yu-Jo pose, a card in the TCG that is a reference to the friendship between Yugi and Joey in the original series.

However, I would argue that their roles are flipped. In spite of being the main character Judai is Joey, and Johan is Yugi. It's Yugi who makes Judai develop into both a better friend and duelist as a result of their friendship, to the point where Judai almost became too codependent on him and had to learn to separate himself from Yugi and develop on his own in Battle City arc.

(Hint hint, Judai and Johan will follow almost this exact same arc).

Yugi is the light which guides Joey into betterig himself, and Johan is the light that guides Judai.

Judai and Johan from their first meeting, get the vague sense they've already met before. Since this is Yu-Gi-Oh the immediate assumptio would be they had some kind of relationship in a past life, but plot twist it's Yubel.

However, I think this red herring is still important because despite the constant comparisons Johan is more similar to Yubel, then they are to Judai.

Edo refers to them both as Duel-Bakas, Shou gets jealous that Judai and Johan spend constant time together after meeting, in everyone else's even probably Judai's they're the same but if you look at their actions as audience members they're quite different. The comparison between them shows the many ways in which Judai is lacking.

Johan is basically Judai, but better. Judai is put on a pedestal by all his friends and seen as a classic hot-blooded shonen protagonist. Johan however, is the one who has all the classic traits of a real shonen protagonist, including having a dream to aspire to, and also fighting to protect his friends.

These are the two most important traits established from basically the first episode with Johan.

Strong bonds

A reason to fight

Johan's personality is more complicated than that, but these two traits are the most important because they're things Judai is lacking in.

Judai is someone is defined by his friendless background, and had no friends until his first year of Duel Academy. Which is why it makes perfect sense that while Judai is in love with the idea of having friends, he doesn't quite understand what a healthy friendship looks like. Judai is also someone who lacks a reason for dueling and only cites he does it for fun and his own personal satisfaction.

Arguably Judai is forced into duels with greater stakes in seasons 1 and 2, but the key word there is forced. Judai is always pushed into those situations, either because his friends aren't strong enough to duel, or his friends actively expect them to fight their battles in their personal lives for him (cough, cough, Sho). In other words he duels for two reasons, either personal satisfaction, or carrying the burdens of others because that's the way he keeps his friends around him.

Judai is ruthlessly criticized for both of these in season 3, the stakes of dueling become too high and Judai just crumbles under the pressure of having to duel for everyone else. As a result his friendships which were never that stable to begin with fall apart.

Johan on the other hand has a goal on his own, and while he might be a tad overprotective of Judai he's also able to coordinate with the rest of the group. In fact when the whole school is teleported to the other dimmension, it's Johan who steps up to lead, while if you notice Judai's actions he splits off from the group repeatedly. Johan's actions are also the reason they are able to return home, because Judai was unable to do anything substantial to defeat Yubel.

One of Johan's first interactions with Judai is him pointing out how callous Judai can be towards his friend, something which others would usually brush aside.

Sho: Bro… I thought you would have something to say to me. Johan: He seems lost. I think he just wanted you to give him some advice. Judai: Sho will be fine.

More importantly Joha can notice these flaws about Judai and immediately point them out and confront them about him, while still remaining friends with him on the whole.

Johan is Judai's model for a positive friendship. In comparison the friendships he has with other people crumble because of inability for both sides to communicate.

When Judai and his friends travel together to another dimmesion, Judai is selfish in constantly disregarding others feelings and running ahead, and at points even lying to them and going against plans they all made together. However, Judai's friends are unable to confront him about these issues and instead mostly talk and complain among themselves behind his back. Judai might not have listened in his state of mind, but they don't even make the attempt.

In fact the friends who do try to confront Judai about his behavior are August and Jim, characters Judai has known just about as long as Johan in comparison to friends he's had for two years who don't feel comfortable having a basic confrontation with him.

Judai's friendships suffer from the fact that none of them are truly equal. Sho for example is the first person Judai meets on the island and the one who he's known the longest, but one of their first interactions is Judai expressig discomfort for the fact Sho calls him his older brother because he wants duelist to be equals and Sho just ignoring him and continuing to call him that.

Once again I believe there is problems on both ends, Judai is very selfish and has a tendency to be ignorant of other people's feelings. On the other hand, Judai's friends eventually get in the habit of expecting him to solve their problems because they've built up the idea of him in their minds as the group hero.

As I said the friendship crumbles from both ends in season 3, part of it is Judai being selfish and acting like he's the only person that matters, part of it is his friends ruthlessly criticizing him because he's failing to live up to the image they've constructed for themselves.

Judai's friendships are fundamentally unequal but Judai himself isn't aware of this because he has no idea what a healthy friendship looks like - until he meets Johan.

Johan is a character not introduced to us in season 3, and yet it's very understandable to the audience that Judai would become so obsessed with saving someone he's known for about a month, to the point where he risks the lives of friends he's known for two years. Because that month has given Judai his first taste of what true friendship is like, rather than the idea of friendship he's been chasing.

Johan is Judai's better half in a lot of ways. One example we're introduced to immediately upon his introduction is Johan's role as someone able to see duel spirits, and his strong relationship with his cards. Just as an example, all of Johan's cards regularly talk to him and Johan even refers to them as the closest thing he has to family.

Judai until that point had a spirit partner that doesn't talk, and his heroes and neo-spacians are more like allies. For Judai the Neo-Spacians are allies in his fight against the Light of Destructio, for Johan the Crystal Beasts are his family.

Johan is also far more experienced as someone who can see duel spirits, while Judai is actively repressing the memory of the fact he could see spirits much earlier in life, and of Yubel.

Before the characters even travel to another dimmension, Johans duel against the spirit hunter Giesse demonstrates how Judai is lacking in these two traits, strong bonds, and a reason to fight. It also demonstrates the difference between how Judai and Johan regard their spirit partners, and why Johan's relationship with his cards is better.

Shortly before the duel even begins Judai is pushed to the brink by his previous duel against the teacher. A duel that not only exhausted him, but also deeply disturbed him because the teacher called into question his lack of reason for dueling and Judai had no real response. When Judai questions himself he does something we don't often see him do, he goes to someone else for advice. J

udai basically never lets himself appear insecure or lost around friends who aren't named Johan. Judai even apologizes to Johan for asking something out of the blue, he's so unused to relying on others for emotional support of any kind.

Judai: Johan what have you been dueling for? See, it's about fun for me... Well, for the surprise and happiness too. I guess I do do it for the fun. Sorry, I guess I put you on the spot by asking out of nowhere. Johan: What's this about Judai? Judai: It's nothing. Johan: I suppose there is one goal I have. Johan: Even if someone doesn't have the power to see spirits, they can still form a bond with a spirit. That's why I do it for people like him.

Johan wants to be a bridge between humans and spirits. Not only is Johan a character defined by the strong bonds of friendship he forms, but his life's goal is also built around improving the bond between spirits ad humans.

Immediately afterwards, Judai gets up and struggles to duel against their next foe. However, this time Johan steps up to duel in Judai's place, which is also a drastic change from Judai's other friends. Unless they had a strong personal bond like Fubuki and Sho with Ryo, Judai has stepped up to handle all the major duels since Season 2. Judai even experiences anxiety over letting Johan go and duel in his place.

Johan is introduced to Giess the hunter, a spirit hunter who actively found a way to kill spirits. A character like that seems like Johan's obvious narrative foil. Giess even invites the comparison between the two of them, saying that Johan is obsession with getting his hands on Rainbow Dragon is similar to how he hunts spirits.

However, Giess works much better as a negative foil, or shadow of Judai. Which is why it makes sense Johan is the one who duels him, because he represents the best in Judai while Giess represents the worst.

Now the question is how could Giess possibly be compared to Judai? Yes, as I demonstrated above Judai is much more inexperienced with seeing spirits than Johan is but he's never actively malicious towards them the way Giess is.

Except, you know when he slaughters hundreds of duel spirits after turning into Haou the Supreme King.

Giesse has a final monologue upon his defeat, to explain why he does what he does and his cruelty towards spirits. Giesse who has probably been able to see spirits as long as Johan once formed a strong bond with a duel spirit, but he was separated from that spirit. The pain made him close his heart off to forming bonds with any other spirits.

After losing his duel spirit partner he came to conclude it was impossible for humans and duel spirits to get along, because the spirits are too pure hearted to understand humans.

Giesse foreshadows Judai's downfall and his actions as the supreme king. Giesse's start of darkness was being forcibly separated from his spirit partner. The entire conflict from Season 3 happens because Judai made the choice to send his childhood friend / spirit partner Yubel into space.

Ironically, despite Yubel beig corrupted by a force called the Light of Destruction, and having a very twisted, sadomasochistic view of love I think Giesse's words here describe why Judai and Yubel can't understand each other.

Yubel is in a way too pure hearted.

We're never given a reason why Yubel became so overprotective of Judai in childhood before they ever became corrupted by the Light of Destruction but we know one thing for sure.

Yubel has no understanding what they did was wrong. They saw themselves as doing their job of protecting Judai which they sacrificed their body for in the past life. They neither understand why Judai was upset by their actions, or why Judai was upset when people started avoiding him because for Yubel being alone with Judai was enough for them.

It makes sense that Yubel wouldn't understand that Judai wants to have friendships with other children his own age. After all Yubel is a spirit that can only be seen by Judai. For Yubel, there is only Judai, they can't communicate with others, they can't form other friendships. Which is extra tragic if you remember that Yubel wasn't born a duel spirit but a personhood, and gave up their very personhood for Judai.

Yubel is very pure-hearted in a way that's almost insidious, they are so straightforward about their love for Judai, and they exist solely for Judai's sake that they can't understand why Judai has room for other people in his life, because there's no one else for Yubel.

The conflict in season 3 comes from Judai's decision to abandon Yubel. Judai can't come to an understanding with Yubel because Yubel is too pure, being a duel spirit that only exists for Judai's sake.

Judai also follows a similiar path to Giesse, when he loses Johan along with the rest of his friends Judai makes the decision to give up on the notion of love in order to gain power instead.

This is quickly followed by him killing duel spirits en masse, probably more than Giesse managed to kill in order to sacrifice them to forge a powerful card. When Johan is battling with Giesse he's literally battling a reflection of the worst part of Judai. Which sets up Johan's role in the series to guide him to his best self.

In summary Johan's relationships with his spirits are strong and healthy, Judai's relationships with Yubel is weak and unhealthy. In fact, Judai is helping achieve his dream of being the bridge between humans and spirits by essentially teaching Judai what strong bonds looks like.

Johan is also symbolically Judai's complementary half in a lot of ways. Each of the new transfer students plays a deck that embodies one elemental step of the stage of alchemy, August is fire / Nigredo, Amon is Water / Albedo, and James Crocodile Crook is Earth / Citrinitas. Johan is the only exception to this rule, because he plays the crystal beasts which are modeled after the seven colors of the rainbow.

Johan is light which puts him into the contrast with Judai who's both set up as the chosen one of the "gentle darkess" to fight the light of destruction, while at the same time someone corrupted by that very darkness into becoming Haou.

Which sets up Johan to contrast to be a pair with Judai. My friend Kaula or @nini-the-mirror pointed out to me we're shown two types of darkness, the destructive darkness embodied by nightshroud and the gentle darkness. While the light of destruction is set up as a destructive force in the universe, there's also Johan's light based crytal beasts, and rainbow dragon which cleanses away darkness. Fusing Rainbow Dragon with Neos purged Yubel from Johan's body, and when Judai was trapped in darkness illusion in Domino City and believed Johan to be Mr. T, it's Johan and the Crystal Beasts who purify him once again.

Johan's desire to be a bridge between spirits and humans, his northern heritage, and Rainbow Dragon all call to mind the Bifrost, a rainbow bridge which connected heaven ad earth.

The bifrost was a connection between the mortal world, and the realm of the gods, or the physical and the spiritual. Just as Johan is a mortal who can talk to spirits. Yu-Gi-Oh GX is also an anime heavily based off of alchemy concepts, and one of the central ones that's even said by Professor Daitokuji himself is: That which is above is like to that which is below, and that which is below is like to that which is above.

It's a phrase written on the Emerald Tablet, often shortened to "As above, so below." It means the mortal world effects the world of the cosmos, and the world of the cosmos effects the mortal world because everything is connected.

By wanting to stregthen the bonds between humans to spirits Johan is basically embodying this phrase. Judai's goal as the alchemist is to be the one to make changes in the mortal world that affect the cosmos. For example, his battles on earth against Saiou has a direct effect on stopping the Light of Destruction, but honestly again Johan serves his role a lot better than Judai.

Johan is in fact a character written around the concepts of bonds itself, the bonds of humans, the bonds between friends. Judai cares about these things too, he wants to be a good friend, but he has lots of flaws that stunts his growth and holds him back. His inability to integrate his shadow also presents him from being his best self (the golden shadow).

To quote my friend Psyche:

"The shadow is basically the storehouse of everything you don’t like about yourself. The things that others are but you could never allow yourself to be. But it’s also the storehouse of the alchemical gold."

Not only is Johan the best parts of Judai by being his golden shadow, he's also essentially Judai's goal. Judai wants to be like Johan.

If Johan gives Judai these things he's lacking, a healthy friendship, and a reason for fighting, then problem solved right? All Judai needs to do is marry Johan.

If you can't tell I was being sarcastic.

The Prismatic Phase

Alchemy is a process of refinement, of breaking down and forging into something stronger. However, when the metal starts out it's full of impurities that need to be hammered out. Alchemy is often used as a metaphor for both character growth and developing relationships in stories, after all if a character starts out perfect there's no story.

I said above multiple times Johan exists to demonstrate to Judai what a healthy friendship is to Judai. However, the attachment that Judai forms with Johan is anything but. Albeit for different reasons than the rest of his friends.

Johan is indeed someone who is set up as Judai's equal, and also strives to be his support rather than constantly relying on him for battles. Johan doesn't just exist to be a good friend to Judai however, he also demonstrates leadership skills Judai doesn't have when faced with a school full of hungry students teleported to another dimensions.

The problem is on Judai's end. Judai definitely needed a friend like Johan, because he's never experienced a friendship between equals before. However Judai as inexperienced as friendship as he is takes this openly supportive friend and starts using him as a crutch.

There's one scene in particular that demonstrates this problem. In the leadup to the cobra duel, Judai confided in Johan twice that he doesn't have any real reason for dueling and he's insecure about that fact. Cobra then criticizes Judai heavily once again for his irresponsible attitude.

Seeing Judai about to crack under the pressure, Johan takes the moment to encourage Judai by reminding him that he has in fact been carrying everyone's responsibilities on his shoulders all along.

Johan: "Why are you so scared Judai? You think there's nothing riding on you? Quit messing around. You've always had everyone's hopes on you. Anyone who's being counted on'll have people putting all their hopes on him. Isn't that what you're always burdened with. What will happen to us all if you lose?"

Well-meaning advice from Johan, but wrong for Judai for two reasons. The first is that Judai's reasons for fighting are something he has to think through for himself. That's how character development happens. Judai can't solve this inner conflict by having Johan just show up and drop the answer in his lap. He still hasn't thought about what he wants to be, he's just accepted Johan's words at face value.

The second is that Judai taking on other people's burdens is precisely the problem. Johan is such a self-reliant person he can give his support to other people without tiring himself out, but Judai can't. Johan wants to protect his friends. Judai duels for his friends because he's absolutely terrified of losing his friends, that's the difference.

Judai's not mature enough to handle other people's burdens and eventually the pressure gets to him and he completely cracks. Judai's just not mature enough to have a healthy relationship with Johan in general.

A relationship where being separated causes one person to have a complete emotional breakdown is not a healthy relationship.

In fact Judai completely ignoring all of his friends after a separating from Judai, and wanting to get him back ad being willing to sacrifice anything for that goal is a parallel to Yubel. Yubel is also someone who was separated from their best friend who they emotionally depended on, and stopped caring about anything but said friend, and was willing to sacrifice everything to reunite with them.

You could liken the disappearance of Johan, and the subsequent rising of Judai as the Supreme King as propelling him through the black phase of alchemy Nigredo, where the soul is brought to its lowest point and the worst flaws are revealed.

In the second sense, "the nigredo of the process of individuation on the other hand is a subjectively experienced process brought about by the subject's painful, growing awareness of his shadow aspects. It could be described as a moment of maximum despair, that is a prerequisite to personal development Here is "the darkest time, the time of despair, disillusionment, envious attacks...Nigredo, the blackening" [Source]

Johan's friendship is important to Judai, but his union with Johan doesn't actually fix any of Judai's problems and aggravates them in some ways. Judai doesn't even start improving as a character until after they seperate.

Johan isn't the rubedo the end result of alchemy, he's the pristmatic phase, the shining light of inspiration.

One metaphor I like to use for the Prismatic phase is the Star in the fool's journey. GX references Tarot and the fool's journey too, and like alchemy it's also a metaphor for personal growth. The fool (Judai) a person brimming with infinite potential, yet one who is also supremely ignorant, walking forward blind has to wise up to the wys of the world.

In the Fool's Journey the Star is a period of brief respite after the disaster of the tower. A beacon of hope and inspiration appears before him.

The Fool is suffused with a serene calm. The beautiful images on the Star (17) attest to this tranquility.Radiant stars shine in a cloudless sky serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration. The Fool is blessed with a trust that completely replaces the negative energies of the Devil. His faith in himself and the future is restored.

Doesn't this just describe Judai and Johan's first meeting to a T? Johan is supposed to be Judai's guiding light in the story ater all. However, the Star is immediately proceeded by the moon the card of illusions and self doubt.

Just like Judai becomes too reliant on Johan to provide him all the answers, the light of the star makes the fool vulnerable to the illusions of the moon.

What effect could spoil this perfect calm? Is there another challenge for the Fool? In fact, it is his bliss that makes him vulnerable to the illusions of the Moon (18). The Fool's joy is a feeling state. His positive emotions are not yet subject to mental clarity. In his dreamy condition, the Fool is susceptible to fantasy, distortion and a false picture of the truth.

Season 4 even invokes star and moon symbolism in regards to Judai and Johan in a negative light. Fujiwara looking into Johan's heart says that Johan's weakness is Judai himself.

He describes Johan's friendship and fixation on Judai as a moon eclipsing the sun. That's not two opposites balancing each other out that's one obscuring the other.

The season 3 version of their relationship is unhealthy and therefore needs to be broken apart and reformed. That's the process of alchemy, even if Yubel didn't kidnap Johan they probably would have broken apart some other way because Judai was too dependent on Johan.

It's also a violent process that includes Judai needing to duel Johan in a way where they are both inflicting pain on each other in order to purify Johan of Yubel's control. Yubel and Fujiwara both comment that underneath it all Johan desires a violent conflict with Judai. Which is probably something that would be explored more if Season 4 was longer. My interpretation however is that Johan being who he is, is kind of forced into the role of caretaker when Judai is involved as Judai is often in need of taking care of. That probably produces darker feelings for a change in their relationship.

The opposite of unions is a violent process that requires dissolving your previous self. The dictionary of Alchemical Imagery defines it as-

one of the central images of the opus alchymicum and a crucial operation in the creation of the philosopher’s stone.  The alchemists were ultimately concerned with the union of substances, the reconciliation of opposites. Through the ‘marriage’ of opposites the goal of the opus, the production of gold and its metaphysical equivalent was obtained. (p. 35)

Judai doesn't marry Johan, but they do have their friendship broken apart and reforged again and it's representative of the prismatic stage.

The Peacock's tail which Johan represents is also like the Star in tarot, a stage where a guiding light suddenly appears. One of the Spector Solis plates , Plate 16 - which depictins a Peacock in a flask is a good representation of this stage.

It is a plate of what else but unity.

The unity that began in plate fifteen is fully realized with the encapsulated animal’s transformation into a single-headed being. The peacock tail is a physical stage in alchemy, a brilliant flash of green which comes to signify that the alchemist is one the right path. It can also be recognized in spiritual/psychological alchemy as a flash of visions that come to the adept as they move through the phases of transformation.

The peacock doesn't just appear to guide the young alchemist through the phases of alchemy however, he also guides them spiritually.

 Plate sixteen embodies that process, the turning point where the adept reaches a new level of consciousness with a flash of the peacock’s tail. Consider the words spirit (i.e., the wine), spiritual, and inspiration. To inspire can mean to breath; it can also mean to transmit fervor. Spirit can be meditative, or evocative.

Who better to provide spiritual guidance to Judai then the person who's goal in life is to become the bridge between humans and spirits.

As the star's dazzling moment of inspiration is just temporary, the plate also emphasizes that the peacock's tail itself isn't the ed of the journey. One of the most significant symbols on the painting is the appearance of three people drinking wine and eating grapes. Three people = three stages of alchemy. As for the rest.

The key to the process of plate sixteen lies in the bottom left-hand corner, with the three people seated at a table, drinking wine and eating grapes. The process of this plate is fermentation. Grapes must be crushed and destroyed to create sweet intoxicating wine. The grapes are perfect as they are, but by destroying them we can make something higher, something that can alter consciousness.

Judai has a nice, comfortable, supportive friedship with Johan but he's the one receiving most of the support. By destroying that relationship, he's able to make a healthier one. Ironically it's the separation from Johan that teaches Judai how to exist apart from him.

In that sense Judai's character development revolves around two figures in season 3, two important relationships, Judai needs toto reunite with Yubel, and he needs to separate from Johan after quickly becoming too codependent.

The three of them together even form an alchemical trio. Often works featuring alchemy symbolism will divide characters into three different roles, the soul (anima), the spirit (spiritus) and the body (corpus). Symbolic of three parts of one whole person. The main characters of a work are often symbolically marked as one of the three.

The classic symbolism of alchemy is the circle, the triangle representing soul spirit and body, the square that repreents the four elements, the small circle, and the man and woman which form the rebis.

The triangle is what we're talking about here, in terms of marking characters to Soul, Spirit and Body. Though, another variation is Mind, Heart, and Body.

Most commonly, authors mark their male protagonist, the Male Principle of the Work, as heart and their female protagonist, the Female Principle of the Work, as mind.  If they have a companion, he or it will be marked as Body.  If you look back at the Mundus Elementaris that I just posted you’ll see that Sun corresponds to Cor (heart) and Moon to Cerebrum (brain).   The characteristics of a “heart” character are pretty much what you’d expect: courage, self-sacrifice, occasional rashness and impulsivity.  The characteristics of a “mind” character are if anything even more obvious.  “Mind” characters are knowledgeable, book-smart, and sometimes overly cautious.  What about the Body character?  There isn’t one in every alchemy story, but when this does appear, the markers are predictable.  Body characters are focused on their bodily needs–they are hungry, thirsty, and, in adult stories, lusty.  And they are often fearful.  [SOURCE]

In this case in a slight difference from the norm, I'd argue that Judai is the heart, Yubel is the mind, and rather than body Johan represents spirit.

The three of them essentially make up the trio of Judai's two most important relationships. Judai is a part of other groups, because GX has a ensemble cast. In seasons 1 and 2 he mainly hangs out in a trio of Sho, Hayato and him, and in season 2 it's Sho, Kenzan and him. Season 4 kinds of marks Judai, Asuka, Sho and Manjoume as the most important students of the graduating class.

However, the characters that influence Judai the most are Yubel and Johan. Johan is the spiritual ispiration, while Yubel is first a challenge for Judai to wise up and grow up, and eventually settles down into a role of advisor like Astral or Yami Yugi.

The main character trio of Season 3 onward are essentially Judai, Johan and Yubel, and each are critical to each other's growth. All three also participate in the final duel against season 3's villain. Judai and Johan tag team darkness possessed Fujiwara, and Judai and Yubel fight nightshroud.

However, as I mentioned above the way these relationships develop Judai are opposites, one of them needs to unite, the other needs to split.

A lot of people draw parallels to Yubel and Ai, the ally turned final villain of Vrains. Ai is also motivated by love and a desire to protect Yusaku the main character and object of their affections. However, the greatest point of comparison is that the option of fusing themselves together, an obvious call back to super polymerization is brought up by Ai in order to be flatly turned down by Yusaku.

And you won't be you.

The parallel to Judai and Johan is not as obvious here, but think about it Judai is his absolute worst self when he's willing to sacrifice anything just for the chance of having Johan back

Okay but just look at how different the two are. Both Johan and Judai, when put in very similar situations (having to save someone), tell us what they’re willing to risk for that goal. They’re both very clear about that. Johan is willing to risk himself. Judai is willing to risk everything else. [Source]

Judai become so destructive in his path to get Johan back, including slaughterig duel spirits en masse, somethig the self appointed protect of duel spirits Johan would absolutely hate that you have to wonder if his desire to have Johan back is even about Johan.

Judai doesn't have much respect for Johan's agency as an individual. It's normal for Judai to be sad, or even to have survivor's guilt when he thinks Johan is dead because he sacrificed his life to save him.

However, Johan didn't sacrifice his life to save just Judai but everyone else. Johan also made the choice to sacrifice himself so Judai would be safe. Judai's response to that choice is to immediately throw not only himself but his friends into repeated danger in order to rescue Johan, and then when all hope is lost start hurting spirits.

Judai doesn't respect fact that Johan wouldn't be happy with Judai hurtig himself or others, especially spirits, because rescuing Johan was never about Johan, but Judai's own feelings of grief.

Juudai is a deeply flawed protagonist. He’s more selfish than any other protagonist this franchise has ever known. The way he goes after both after Johan in season three and O’Brien shows that he actually doesn’t care all that much for them as people. To him, they represent a concept: Victory, or at the very least atonement for his past actions. A convenient way to right what he did wrong.  That is not to say that he doesn’t like them as people - he does. But when the chips are down, what he ultimately wanted was a chance to redeem himself by saving them. [Source]

Yubel and Judai are opposites who need to be united and learn to live with each other. The crux of Judai and Johan's problem is that really they're so similiar that everyone, including Judai sort of sees them as the same perso. However, as stated above just underneath the surface they have a lot of differences that could lead them to an unhealthy relationship. Judai just like Ai needs to learn that Johan is a separate person from him.

Which is why Judai's greatest two character development moments with Johan come not from the moment where he fuses rainbow dragon with Neos for the first time to cleanse Judai's body from Yubel.

It's actually immediately afterwards, when Johan hands Judai his deck to face Yubel. While Judai also makes the decision to face Yubel alone.

The arc theoretically could have ended right there. Judai's objective was to save Johan, and Johan was saved. Except the real conflict of the arc was that Judai needed to learn to take responsibility for himself, instead of leaning on a convenient crutch like Johan.

In Yu-Gi-Oh a duelists deck is often referred to as their soul, so Johan is entrusting Judai with a lot. That simple action really shows Judai that Johan can support him even from a distance and the two don't need to be attached at the hip.

In the tag duel against Fujiwara, Johan makes a similiar decision of sacrificing himself in order to protect Judai. However, to show how much he's changed since season 3, this time Judai does't completely lose his mind over Johan's sacrifice and respects Johan's feelings instead. Johan doesn't want Judai to fall apart, he wants Judai to carry his feelings with him and finish the duel for both of them and that's what he does. Judai has learned now to accept support without completely turning Johan into a crutch.

Citriniatis is also the third stage of alchemy. Each Season of the four seasos Yu-Gi-Oh Gx represents one of the four stages of alchemy.

The third stage is often referred to as the stage where the light which appears in albedo starts to shine.

Seperation from Johan essentially kicked off Judai's blackening stage, waking up his shadow in the form of the supreme king and bringing light to his flaws. This passage in particular describes it as a "rising sun" and "bringing light to consciousness."

 In  most cases Jung himself expressed the work as having three stages. Still, citrinitas seems to fit better into a flow of growth and development, as well as mystical progress as the third stage. In the second stage, albedo, a light appears in the nigredo darkness, the light of an awakened soul which is symbolised as a moon (the feminine) shining in the darkness. The third stage, citrinitas, brings forth the light of the sun (the masculine), a light which magically transforms the shadowy and fearful subconscious into valuable consciousness. From the dark night of rubedo, to the pale morning light of albedo, the sun rises in citrinitas to the culmination of day in rubedo. [Source]

Johan is simulatenously a light which shines on Judai's worst flaws just by being his better self and showing how selfish Judai is in comparison, while at the same time he's also the light that guides Judai on the path of healing.

After all Judai's final action in Season 3 isn't to kill Yubel like the Supreme King, or like a hero would, but rather to reconcile with Yubel. That's a path Johan would have taken considering Johan's whole goal is to help lost spirits like Yubel repair their relationships with humans.

Judai's journey of atonement even takes a similiar path to Johan, and mirrors Johan's dream of becoming the bridge between humans ad spirits. Unlike the duel between Cobra and Judai though, I don't think in this case it's Judai relying on Johan to give him the answers in life.

This is because the two of them have entirely different reasons for wanting to help spirits. Johan wants to help spirits because the strong connections he feels with spirits, and the crystal beasts in particular give him the only sense of family he's ever known. It's also because of an encounter with a little boy who lost his Jerry Beans Man where he came to understand that even people who can't see card spirits still feel a strog bond with them.

Judai however has an entirely different motivation, his journey to help duels spirits is a journey of atonement. It's also one he's taking together with Yubel because they both have a lot to make up for and a lot of healing to do.

Judai also didn't start out Season 4 wantig to become the bridge between humans and spirits. In fact he spent most of season 4 sitting alone in his dorm being depressed and aimless. It's his confrontation with Fujiwara, and his act of helping Honest reunite with his spirit partner Fujiwara that gave Judai the idea that he could help heal other spirits too.

Following the motto of dissolve et coagula, dissolve and coagulate all the troubles and tribulations and even the separation of Season 3 was necessary for the much healthier bond between them in Season 4.

Judai doesn't even say goodbye to Johan at the end of the season, and he leaves without telling Johan where he's going, but essentially they are still walking the same path of uniting spirits and humans and it's a path Judai would have never found without Johan's help.

[freefallfiction]

File: Criminal Minds masterlist

Last Reviewed: 10/01/2024

Originally posted by tinywolfcoffee

rules No Pedoph!l!c Content No Minor Interaction Send Requests Through The 'Asks' Channel Fem!Reader Unless Requested Otherwise Don't Like Don't Read Mind The Warnings Have Fun

S. Reid

Pendulum

Claire knew she was different; in fact, it was one of the first things she really had to learn. Before that though, she simply thought the people she interacted with where disproportionally stupid. It was only after she realized she unnerved those around her, setting off alarms of warning of preservation, did she realize how special she was. Comparatively, it took Spencer Reid 1.39 seconds. (alternatively named 100 days of Claire)

prologue -Here! The Labrynth -Coming Soon! The Mirror -To Be Determined

United In Grief

How long can two hurting people hold on with only love keeping them together?

Late Night Concessions

Someone broke into your place; it was just past midnight and the rain was near deafening, but you were sure that was the sound of your front door window being shattered. With your phone on silent and Spencer’s number already dialed, you can only hope they’re here for your purse and tv and not the hiding girl beneath the bed.

Re-Run Special

Spencer finds love with a genius hedonistic girl who turns his world upside down, but their clash of personalities can leave him feeling a little left behind.

Play Your Cards Right

Y/n always loved Yu-Gi-Oh. From watching the show as a kid to trading and playing the card game, it’s always been a part of her life-- she should have known her boyfriend would try to learn it for her.

Coffee, My Secret Admirer

He had been wanting to try out the coffee shop on west and third for a while now, and he finally had the chance. He never thought he’d be caught up in a romance when a beautiful girl hopped over the counter and took his order, nor did he think they’d turn into not-so-secret admirers of one another.

Scale of Mental Stability

When a string of murders pick off where a long-arrested serial killer left off, the FBI’s first stop is the children of the cursed family. The problem? The only person who hates the man more than the son they arrested, is the daughter who’s out for blood.

My Hermes (Sending Me Letters From Above)

A coincidental meeting years ago leaves Spencer enthralled by a voice heard in the most unfortunate of circumstances. Y/n couldn't forget the man who gave her the best gift of all, the phone call of a lifetime.

The Seven Stages Of Loving You

A seven part series where Spencer falls in love with the BAU’s CI, or, Spencer finds out just how hard it is to build a future with someone constantly attacked by their past.

Absquatulate

Years had passed. Cases opened and closed, books were written and sold, the world spun and spun until... until it didn’t. The world kept moving until three am on Halloween night-- six shots of whiskey deep-- the world crashed down. 

A. Hotch

Last Man Standing

No matter what it takes, even as bodies fall all around him and blood paints the streets, he will come home to you.

Just Like The Movies

It was a rare sight even before what will henceforth be known only as 'the incident' for Aarons smile to stretch so wide his eyes crinkled in a boyish manner that everyone believed was lost to time. It must have been a miracle.

The Egg Crusher

Serial killers in their own backyard had a tendency to start fires within the team that burn hotter than usual; one targeting pregnant women was practically begging them to shut him down. Aaron had begged her to take off work and finally start maternity leave. The worst part was she listened; the constant messages to his work email that set of ‘nesting’ alarms in his head had him convinced she had dived head first into it. Then he gets one signed off with the hidden moniker used when one of them gets themselves in trouble.

D. Morgan

Where You Go (I Wanna Go With You)

Derek always believed the job came first; complete the mission however he needed to for the case to close and the rest was simply collateral damage. Even now, when all is said and done, he couldn't say when his priorities shifted.

Where You Go (I Go)

Derek knew what it meant to be a great soldier. He knew how to follow all the rules and take initiative when appropriate; he’d learned these things as a means of survival. Even if the country he serves has dwindled down to one person, he knows to do everything in his power to get to her till his dying breath. (a part two)

Domesticated

The people at work tried to be more encouraging than envious when her boyfriend insists on driving her to and from work some random Tuesday. The imposing figure the man struck was intimidating, yet they all called him her ‘doberman puppy’.

J. Gideon

The Heart

He thought he'd lost it forever; for years it had been pegged as just another thing the horrors of his profession had stolen from him, a risk his mind simply wouldn't allow him to take. He should have known the brain had no power over matters of the heart.

E. Prentiss

Dancing With The Stars

Maybe in another world, when Emily crossed the dimly lit ballroom with a cutting smile and wandering hand, she did it without the mic in her ear.

E. Greenway

Comfort, Come Forth, King Forge

It was a dangerous field; that was all anyone ever said- you're a small girl, they'll eat you alive. For years after the academy she was always a girl first agent second; then she met her.

D. Rossi

Bella, Ciao

He may have chosen the wild life, but his heart remained every faithful in her hands.

These Trembling Hands

He thought it might be over; similar fates have happened to men far more successful than he. A mission gone wrong and they're sent to recovery, a mandates psych eval that already is stamped 'denied' to send him into retirement. He never thought he'd last this long in the first place, and if the pretty psychiatrist was his parting present he'd be a fool to look the gifted horse in the eye.

P. Garcia

Something Lost, Something Gained

It was a gilded reassignment that brought the new liaison to the team; she was, perhaps, the only agent who loathed the idea of being tacked on to the BAU's list of revolving-door members. The Cyber Response Unit had been home ever since the academy, but a single misstep had started the spiral towards madness, better known as the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Hopefully there would be someone on the team that wouldn't inherently know every little secret which had been carefully tucked away.

[constantlyoverthinking]

I finally finished Penacony and it was SO PEAK, the music (of course, it's Hoyo), the story (of course it's Hoyo), the characters (of course, it's Hoyo except GI Raiden Shogun's first story quest, however we don't talk about that).

Aventurine was imo the best-written character of the entire quest followed by Acheron. Both of their stories deeply resonated with me (read: I cried) and Acheron made me download HI3 (I wish to see her - well her original variant at least -… happier? Or I just wish to see more of her in general), but frankly all the characters were charming and I have grown quite fond of them. Firefly's story was incredible and I hope her dream comes true one day. Black Swan reminded me that I am not straight (how I wish women were real) and I can't wait for us to learn more about her and the Garden of Recollection. The legacy of Mikhail Char Legwork was beautifully written with Clocky, Gallagher, Misha, the 2 murder cases, and Dormancy. And Boothill was fudging hilarious. Sparkle as a character is great, I like her a lot, but in the story, she seemed kind of redundant. With the numerous factions at play and the different plotlines taking place at the same time, Sparkle and the masked fools just kinda being there doing almost nothing was strange. I believe the story would have benefited from the removal of the masked fools because it would have made it a bit clearer. But hey, it's no big deal, and as I said at the beginning it was overall peak and this is just a nitpick.

You may have noticed that I didn't mention Robin and Sunday and that's because I plan on making an entire different post about them analyzing their philosophies and actions. (It's probably going to be mainly about Sunday, but one cannot talk about Sunday without mentioning Robin). In short, I think Robin is sweet and Sunday is an immature fool (I say somewhat lovingly, he's probably going to be my future main)

Anyways Hoyo should pay for my therapy due to the amount of emotional damage their games cause me. Now I have about three weeks to recover and then get traumatized again by GI since Natlan's story will begin.

[greenwitchcrafts]

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Known as: Allheal, angel flower, arrowroot, bloodwort, cammok, carpenter's weed, death flower, devil's mustard, Devil's nettle, eerie, field hops, gearwe, green arrow, herbe militaris, hundred leaved grass, knight's milfoil, noble yarrow, nosebleed plant, plumajilo, seven year's love, snake's grass, soldiers thousand seal., squirrel tail, stanch grass, tansy, thousand-leaf, thousand weed, woundwort, yarrowway & yerw

Related plants: Is a member of the daisy family Asteraceae that consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within it such as chamomile, coneflowers, dahlia, daisy, dandelion, goldenrod, lettuce, marigold, mugwort & sunflower

Parts used: Leaves & flowers

Habitat and Cultivation: This hardy plant is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe & North America

Plant type: Perennial

Region: 3-9

Harvest: Harvest yarrow when the blooms only when they have fully opened. It should be cut right above the leaf node to encourage the plant to potentially flower again. Many choose to harvest the flowers in the late morning when the dew has dried before so that the plant is not stressed by the extreme heat. Hot, dry spells right before bloom seems to be ideal for producing the most fragrant leaves.

Growing tips: Plant in an area that receives full sun to encourage compact growth and many flowers about 1-2 feet apart. In partial sun or shade, yarrow tends to grow leggy. Yarrow performs best in well-drained soil. It thrives in hot, dry conditions; it will not tolerate constantly wet soil. Loamy soil is recommended, but yarrow can also be grown in clay soil as long as it does not always stay saturated with water. While this plant is technically considered invasive only in noncultivated settings, common yarrow still needs to be planted in an area where you don't mind proliferation. 

Medicinal information: Yarrow has a history of being used for fever, common cold, hay fever, absence of menstruation, dysentery, diarrhea, loss of appetite, gastrointestinal (GI) tract discomfort, and to induce sweating. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache. Yarrow is applied to the skin to stop bleeding from hemorrhoids; for wounds; and as a sitz bath for painful, lower pelvic, cramp-like conditions in women. Some people chew the fresh leaves to relieve toothache.

Cautions: Yarrow is commonly consumed in foods, but yarrow products that contain a chemical called thujone might not be safe because it is poisonous in large doses. Yarrow is not recommended for use during pregnancy or chestfeeding as it causes risks of miscarriage. Yarrow might slow blood clotting. In theory, taking yarrow might increase the risk of bleeding in people with bleeding disorders. In some people, it also might cause skin irritation & is toxic to cats & dogs.

Magickal properties

Gender: Feminine

Planet: Venus

Element: Air & Water

Deities: Achilles, Aphrodite, Cernunnos, Faeries, Oshun & Yemaya

Magickal uses:

• Add the flowers to a satchet or dream pillow to encourage prophetic dreams

• Hang a bundle above your bed on your honeymoon night to ensure lasting love for 7 years

• Place across your thresholds or plant near doorwaysto prevent negative energies & influences from entering your home

• Burn as an incense before or during divination to increase psychic abilities

• Wear as an amulet to attract love, friendships & give courage

• Place yarrow under your pillow & if you dreamt of your love, it was a positive omen. If you had a bad dream, or dreamt of other people, it wasn’t

• Combine with mugwort as tea to drink before divination to increase psychic powers

• Put near yourself while practicing divination to increase your psychic abilities

• In spells, use to re-establish contact with long-lost friends or relatives & attract their attention

• Braid into your hair to tap into inner wisdom

• The I-Ching divination was originally performed with dried yarrow stems

• Wash crystals& crystal balls with a yarrow rinse to bring about clarity of vision

• Drink yarrow tea & a cinnamon stick to  release hidden truths

• Place on a coffin or grave to help the spirit cross over/ let go

•For powerful protection, pick yarrow flowers and charge them in the sun. Once charged, take the flowers and sprinkle them outside your home to prevent negative influences and energies away from entering your home

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

The Encyclopedia of Natural Magic by John Michael Greer

Wild Witchcraft by Rebecca Beyer

Plant Witchery by Juliet Diaz

A Compendium of Herbal Magick by Paul Beyerl

The Herbal Alchemist Handbook by Karen Harrison

The Book of Flower Spells by Cheralyn Darcey

[umairrizwan1]

How do I choose the right size for a women's BJJ gi?

Introduction:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is not only a martial art but also a way of life for many practitioners around the world. As a female practitioner, finding the right BJJ gi is essential for comfort, mobility, and performance on the mat. However, selecting the perfect size can be challenging, given the variations in body shapes and gi brands available in the market. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the factors to consider and step-by-step strategies to help you choose the right size for a women's BJJ gi.

Understanding BJJ Gi Sizing:

Before diving into the specifics of choosing the right size, it's crucial to understand how BJJ gi sizing works. Unlike regular clothing sizes, BJJ gis are typically sized using a combination of height and weight ranges. Additionally, some brands offer specific size charts tailored for women, considering differences in body proportions.

Factors to Consider When Choosing the Right Size:

Body Measurements: Start by taking accurate measurements of your body. Key measurements include height, weight, chest circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, arm length, and leg length. These measurements will serve as a baseline for selecting the appropriate size according to the manufacturer's size chart.

Gi Brand and Model: Different brands may have variations in sizing, fit, and shrinkage rates. It's essential to research and familiarize yourself with the sizing charts provided by the brand of your choice. Additionally, consider trying on gis from different brands if possible to determine which one fits your body shape best.

Style and Preference: Consider your personal style preferences and intended use of the gi. Some practitioners prefer a more tailored fit, while others prefer a looser, more relaxed fit for comfort and mobility during training or competition. Additionally, take into account any specific features or design elements you prefer, such as collar thickness, sleeve length, or pant style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing the Right Size:

Refer to Size Charts: Start by consulting the size chart provided by the gi manufacturer. Look for specific sizing options designated for women if available. Match your body measurements with the corresponding size ranges to identify the most suitable size.

Consider Shrinkage: Keep in mind that most BJJ gis are made from cotton, which has a tendency to shrink after washing. Check if the manufacturer provides information on pre-shrunk or shrink-to-fit gis. If unsure, consider sizing up slightly to accommodate potential shrinkage, especially if you fall between two size ranges.

Seek Expert Advice: Reach out to fellow female practitioners or instructors for recommendations and insights on sizing, especially if they have experience with the brand or model you're considering. They may offer valuable advice based on their personal experiences and preferences.

Try Before You Buy: If possible, try on the gi before making a purchase. Visit a local BJJ store or attend events where vendors showcase their products. Trying on different sizes will give you a better understanding of how each size fits your body shape and allows you to make an informed decision.

Read Reviews: Research online reviews and testimonials from other female practitioners who have purchased the same gi model. Pay attention to comments regarding sizing, fit, comfort, and durability. This feedback can help you gauge whether the gi runs true to size or if adjustments need to be made.

Evaluate Comfort and Mobility: Once you've selected a size and tried on the gi, assess its comfort and mobility during movement. Ensure that the gi allows for a full range of motion without feeling too restrictive or overly loose. Pay attention to areas such as the shoulders, sleeves, and pant legs to ensure a proper fit.

Consider Alterations: In some cases, you may find that the gi fits well overall but requires minor alterations for a perfect fit. Consult with a tailor or seamstress to make adjustments such as hemming pant legs or taking in the jacket for a more tailored look.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right size for a Womens gi BJJ is a crucial step in ensuring comfort, mobility, and performance on the mat. By considering factors such as body measurements, gi brand and model, style preferences, and shrinkage, you can make an informed decision that suits your individual needs. Remember to consult size charts, seek expert advice, try on different sizes, and evaluate comfort and mobility before making a final purchase. With careful consideration and attention to detail, you'll find the perfect fit that enhances your BJJ experience.

FAQ’s: 

Q1: How do I measure myself accurately for a BJJ gi?

A: To measure yourself accurately for a BJJ gi, you'll need to take several key measurements, including height, weight, chest circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, arm length, and leg length. Use a measuring tape and follow guidelines provided by the manufacturer to ensure precision.

Q2: Do BJJ gi sizes differ from regular clothing sizes?

A: Yes, BJJ gi sizes typically differ from regular clothing sizes. They are usually based on a combination of height and weight ranges, rather than standard numerical sizes. Additionally, gi sizes may vary between brands, so it's essential to consult each manufacturer's size chart for accurate sizing information.

Q3: How do I know if a BJJ gi will shrink after washing?

A: Most BJJ gis are made from cotton, which has a tendency to shrink after washing. Check the product description or label for information on pre-shrunk or shrink-to-fit gis. It's also advisable to size up slightly to accommodate potential shrinkage, especially if you're between two size ranges.

Q4: What should I do if I fall between two sizes on the size chart?

A: If you fall between two sizes on the size chart, consider factors such as shrinkage, personal preference for fit, and feedback from other practitioners. It's generally recommended to size up if you're unsure, as you can always make minor alterations for a better fit if needed.

Q5: Are there specific size charts available for women's BJJ gis?

A: Some BJJ gi manufacturers offer specific size charts tailored for women, considering differences in body proportions. These size charts may provide more accurate sizing options for female practitioners, taking into account factors such as chest and hip measurements.

Q6: What should I do if I can't try on the gi before purchasing it?

A: If you're unable to try on the gi before purchasing it, research online reviews and testimonials from other female practitioners who have bought the same model. Pay attention to comments regarding sizing, fit, comfort, and mobility to gauge whether the gi runs true to size.

Q7: How can I ensure that the gi fits comfortably and allows for mobility?

A: When trying on the gi, assess its comfort and mobility during movement. Ensure that it allows for a full range of motion without feeling too restrictive or overly loose. Pay attention to areas such as the shoulders, sleeves, and pant legs to ensure a proper fit.

Q8: What should I do if the gi requires alterations for a better fit?

A: If the gi fits well overall but requires minor alterations for a perfect fit, consult with a tailor or seamstress. They can make adjustments such as hemming pant legs or taking in the jacket for a more tailored look, ensuring maximum comfort and mobility on the mat.

Q9: How do I care for my BJJ gi to prevent excessive shrinkage?

A: To prevent excessive shrinkage, follow the care instructions provided by the manufacturer. Wash the gi in cold water and avoid using high heat when drying. Hang dry the gi whenever possible, and avoid wringing or twisting it to maintain its shape and size over time.

[adviceformefromme]

Hi! Thank you for the health advice! I would love to quit or significantly reduce carbs, I also feel like it's heavy on my body, but so many meals revolve around grains (sourdough bread mostly) and I guess there's a craving aspect to it too... Could you give advice on what you're eating instead?? I have lots of eggs, fish, occasional meat, plenty of fruit, just enough veg haha but i find it hard to imagine going without carbs (or grains more specifically cos I have no prob with vege carbs). Especially in winter 😋 Thank you for any help 🙏🙏

I feel like society has normalised feeling heavy and lethargic after meals, but its amazing you have noticed this and want to change!

You may want to cut carbs gradually (no starches - breads, grains, rice, pasta, potatoes).

I would recommend looking into GI index to see what foods are high glucose, following Hormone Balancing recipes, juices etc (usually very low carb and support women's health). Listening to podcasts on microbiome, or even a tiktok search.

Introducing pre/ probiotics: I make sauerkraut (which is basically cabbage / onions in water and salt left to ferment for a few days - lots of variations on this), also just made my first batch of Kefir (I stay away from store bought Kefir as its pasturised and all the good stuff has been killed off during this process). I mention these as a healthy gut is going to support you as you remove carbs and introduce more wholesome foods.

Breakfasts:

Omlette (spinach / onion / parsley )

Scrambled eggs w/ coconut oil

Buckwheat porridge w/ blueberries (buckwheat is a seed not a grain so low glucose index)

Avocado salad (seeds, olives, rocket, tomatoes, cucumber) +tahini

Snacks:

Nuts, olives, blueberries, blackberries, watermelon

Main meals:

Veg + Protein (Broccli, kale, butternut squash, courgette, carrots, asparagus, cabagge, peppers). I do different variations of veg to mix things up, sometimes i do Chinese style stir fry, I try to add garlic and ginger as much as possible into the veg. Protein is usually grass fed steak, whole fish - seabream, sea bass, mackerel, cod fillet, wild salmon fillet, or turkey breast fillet. I make chimichurri sauce to add some extra flavour to the fish.

Protein + lentil / chicpeas dish. I have a stew a few days a week to break up the veggies because they do get boring after a while.

Bone broth. I boil the bones, and have as a little side dish with veggies but this isn't really filling enough for a main meal.

I make beetroot juice, and also watermelon juice, tumeric + ginger shots throughout the week. I try to throw in flaxseed and chia seeds where possible.

I cut coffee/ decaf all that and now only drinking fresh mint tea, slice of lemon + hot water, fresh juices (within the hour of making), and water ensuring 2l per day.

Number one thing that had to go was oats. So if you are having a morning crash I suggest cutting the carbs first thing. I know there are suggestions (glucose goddess) that fat with carbs or when you eat them (having carbs after veg can help) but personally i think its best to cut them.

I hope this helps! Its a full lifestyle change that has honestly helped so much! It's a commitments, but investing in feeling good and your health will make you feel so good and wholesome! xoxoxo

*I used the free 1 month trial of MyFitnessPal app to track my calories/ meals to ensure I was getting enough food - for some this might be extreme but super helpful to see what’s going on.

[watermelonsugacry]

wait a second what the heck did 1d member!yn wear to the met gala? i feel like she probably went before harry hosted and was probably in ari’s dress for the heavenly bodies themed one and when she went with harry she was just the embodiment of camp i just know it

2018 - Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination

"Oh-oh my gosh it's freakin' YN YLN," Liza Koshy grunts excitedly at the sight of the former One Direction star walking up the carpeted steps. "Nothing can drag her down, she looks so amazing. You look absolutely beautiful!" Liza Koshy gushes as YN walks up to her first interview section of the night.

"'fank you! You look gorgeous, babe," She compliments back as she adjusts herself to show off her beautiful gown.

"The angels above are singing right now and you're a singing angel yourself. And how fitting that your album is titled Only Angel because you certainly are one tonight," YN grips onto Liza's hand and scrunches up her nose as she giggles at how many compliments the young woman is throwing out at her.

"Stop, please don't make me laugh, I can't breathe in this corset," The two women laugh and YN has to put a hand on her tummy to help control her breathing.

"You look fantastic, girl. Please tell us about your look."

"So I'm wearing Vera Wang tonight. It is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It's the last judgment scene where Christ decides who goes to Heaven and who goes to Hell."

"This is your first Met Gala, how are you feeling tonight?" Liza gives a warm smile.

"I feel amazing. I feel excited. I can't really believe that I'm here. I feel like m'at a very expensive prom," YN smiles brightly as she looks around at all the well-dressed guests.

"Will you save me a dance later then?"

"Oh, absolutely!"

"And lastly, do you have anything you want to confess?" The interviewer humorously wiggles her eyebrows.

"Umm, I feel like I have to pee a little bit. M'kinda hungry, to be honest," YN lists with a laugh, the woman next to her following suit.

"Well, if you need help in the bathroom with all that dress you let me know. Girl, I got you," The pop star thanks her over a laugh. "Well you look phenomenal," Liza shakes her head in disbelief one more time. "Have a good night tonight."

"You as well. I'll see yeh on the dance floor!" YN calls over her shoulder with a wave of her hand as she's escorted away.

2019 - Camp: Notes on Fashion

"...baby you light up the Met like nobody else. How are you doing, Mister Harry Styles?"

After some initial questions, Liza asks the tongue twister question, "You are a style icon for so many, who's Harry Styles's style icon?"

"Erm, this lovely lady over here," Harry smiles warmly once he sees the woman in question make her way up the pink stars. He's quickly going over to her, taking her hand in his and helping her up the rest of the way.

"Ms. YN YLN! Oh my gosh!"

"Liza! How are yeh, babe?" YN giddily shuffles her way over to give the fun interviewer a hug the best she can over her outfit.

"I'm good, I'm good. I'm like a hummingbird perched on a flower bush!" Liza makes a bird cooing sound and it makes the couple laugh. "You look so stunning. Please tell me about your look."

"So I'm wearing Gucci today and this piece is called The Girl In Bloom. It was designed and made by my good friend, Emma Evans who has been me stylist since I first started my career."

"Please tell me, how does this outfit speak to you and to Camp?"

"Well, I think Camp is about being genuine and being yourself," YN nods her head, her gloved-covered hands moving in front of her as she speaks. "I'm sharing some of my story through this piece in how I grew up in the music industry: on a personal level, a musical level, and so on. So I started in this industry as a young girl and now I'm blossoming into something more. Fashion is supposed to be fun and expressive and I think this outfit showcases that for me tonight."

While YN explains her outfit, the camera picks up the way he's fondly smiling at his secret girlfriend. He's in awe at her words and how she chooses to express herself. It's a bit surreal that both of them are in attendance tonight, a very public and well-known event where they are free to hang out, talk about fashion and just have a good time. It's a proud moment for the both of them for sure.

"Ooo m'am you have such a way with words you sound so majestic," Liza playfully fans herself. "So we all know that the two of you are very familiar with one another-"

"This guy? I just met this bloke tonight," YN jokes and it makes Harry tilts his chin down to his chest as he chuckles. "I thought he was only helping me up the steps. I dunno know this guy at all."

She gives his wrist a squeeze with a cheeky smile and Harry doesn't think twice about placing his hand protectively on the bottom of her back--a part in the video that fans keep replaying over and over again.

"Yeah, I don't know either. Who is this guy?" Liza dramatically teases. "With both of you two here tonight, how excited are you guys to be here?"

"I feel very excited," Harry starts and looks at his former band member with a fond smile. "Events like this seem like a once in a lifetime opportunity so it's nice to be here with a friend."

"Alright guys, have a great rest of your night!"

"You as well, thank you," And with that, Harry extends an arm for YN to grab onto as they walk inside the grand hall.

When Liza turns back to the camera, she suddenly sucks in a dramatic breath, " I feel like I can breathe again."

The After Party:

After playing host for the majority of the night and being released from his Co-Chair duties, Harry takes YN up to the DJ platform to have some much-needed fun.

The short video clip of the three of them up there shows the fans how hammered the two of them have gotten.

As Mark Ronson remixes Rolling In The Deep, YN and Harry dance behind him. While gripping onto each others hands, they sway themselves to the rhythm of the music. She sways her hips with her eyes closed and when Harry lets her go, the back of her hands brush up along the nape of her neck, up the side of her face and in the air.

When Mark switches it up to The 900 Number, the two friends look at each other with wide eyes and excited smiles.

Harry reaches out to grip her shoulders as he drunkenly yells to her over the loud music, "Oh, fuck!" All the while, YN's face scrunches up in a tipsy giggle and she grips onto his forearms.

The video clip ends as Harry tugs her closer to him, throwing an arm around the tops of her shoulders as they turn their backs to the camera.

.

.

SINCE 2010 masterlist

I write for free so if any of you lovies would like to help a college girl out and buy her a ko-fi i would greatly appreciate it :) 💚

[one-vivid-judgment]

Hii! My favorite babyboys Nanba, Joon-gi, Zhao and Tomi (who's actually your favorite babygirl :D) and things they do that give their s/o butterflies. Thanks!

Tomi is, indeed, my favorite babygirl that I would kill for 😊😊 Something so attractive about pathetic men who got their life ruined.

Yu Nanba

He notices if you have wounds anywhere. Even if they are just tiny paper cuts or a scrapped knee, he’ll see them and offer to take a look at them. Always has some band-aids at the ready for that same reason. You can insist all you want that they are not serious, but he’s not going to care.

If it’s raining outside, he’ll always lend you his umbrella. It’s a bit small to share it, but he will take getting his shoulder wet over you getting soaked and catching a cold. Besides, it’s a good chance to be in close proximity.

Started taking better care of his looks, and specially his breath. He still finds it a hassle to brush his teeth, but he knows it’s a necessity. Now, he always has a mint before going out with you—the mint breath is so obvious when you kiss him, it’s actually kind of adorable.

Joongi Han

You don’t even need to say you’re cold: he notices. And when he does, he takes off his coat and drapes it over your shoulders. He’ll act cool and like he’s not cold himself when he is; he really just wants you to be warm.

Always, always, always remembers the things you tell him that you like. You like cheesecake? He’ll go around Yokohama looking for the best cheesecake to buy it just for you. Only the best of the best for his partner, nothing less.

Quite literally only has eyes for you when out in public. Oh, he’s attractive, and he knows many women find him attractive and flirt with him even when you are there. But, to be honest, he doesn’t even notice those people—he always has his eyes on you, and he’ll always be giving you that fond look.

Zhao Tianyou

Always remembers your favorite dishes and will make them for you when you have a bad day. He believes a nice, warm meal can make even the worst of days a little better, and he enjoys cooking for the people that he loves.

You paint his nails and he paints yours in return; you bet he’s going to give you the best damn manicure in the world. But also, the tease that he is, you bet he’s going to look you in the eye as he holds your hand until you get too flustered to keep the eye contact up.

He buys you little accessories similar to the ones he owns, sorta like couple items but not really. Sometimes he’ll put the ring on your finger himself and give it a little kiss as a ‘good luck charm’. Again, a fucking tease.

Eric Tomizawa

You’ve tried to pay him more than once when he drives you places, but he always refuses. His answer is always “Oh no, get that money back in your pocket. It’s always on the house for you”. And if he needs to wait for hours until you come out of the shopping centre to drive you back home safely, he will. If you have a car and need a wash/a small repair that he can help with, it’s also on the house.

Genuinely so head over heels it’s actually embarrassing, he still sighs like a goddamn teenager in love when he looks at you—and he does it with those soft fucking eyes, too. Ever since Marie, he thought love was out of the question, but it was not after all, and you bet he’s taking it and showing it.

He’s not the greatest cook, but he can prepare basic dishes. Breakfast is his forte though; I mean, man wants to open his own café, he’s got to know a thing or two about making dessert. Breakfast in bed is a thing with him, not just on your birthday or other important dates either. Just because.

[justforbooks]

Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918 – May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and appeared in 61 films in total over 37 years. The press coined the term "The Love Goddess" to describe Hayworth, after she had become the most glamorous screen idol of the 1940s. She was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II.

Hayworth is perhaps best known for her performance in the 1946 film noir Gilda, opposite Glenn Ford, in which she played the femme fatale in her first major dramatic role. She is also known for her performances in Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Strawberry Blonde (1941), Blood and Sand (1941), The Lady from Shanghai (1947), Pal Joey (1957), and Separate Tables (1958). Fred Astaire, with whom she made two films, You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and You Were Never Lovelier (1942), once called her his favorite dance partner. She also starred in the Technicolor musical Cover Girl (1944), with Gene Kelly. She is listed as one of the top 25 female motion picture stars of all time in the American Film Institute's survey, AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars.

Hayworth was a top glamour girl in the 1940s, a pin-up girl for military servicemen and a beauty icon for women. At 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) and 120 lb (54 kg), she was tall enough to be a concern for dancing partners such as Fred Astaire. She reportedly changed her hair color eight times in eight movies.

In 1949, Hayworth's lips were voted best in the world by the Artists League of America. She had a modeling contract with Max Factor to promote its Tru-Color lipsticks and Pan-Stik make-up.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Hayworth received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1645 Vine Street in 1960.

In 1980, Hayworth was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease, which contributed to her death in 1987 at age 68. The public disclosure and discussion of her illness drew attention to Alzheimer's, and helped to increase public and private funding for research into the disease.

The public disclosure and discussion of Hayworth's illness drew international attention to Alzheimer's disease, which was little known at the time, and it helped to greatly increase federal funding for Alzheimer's research.

The Rita Hayworth Gala, a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association, is held annually in Chicago and New York City. The program was founded in 1985 by Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, in honor of her mother. She is the hostess for the events and is a major sponsor of Alzheimer's disease charities and awareness programs. As of August 2017, a total of more than $72 million had been raised through events in Chicago, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida.

On October 17, 2016, a press release from the Springer Associates Public Relations Agency announced that Rita Hayworth's former manager and friend, Budd Burton Moss, initiated a campaign to solicit the United States Postal Service to issue a commemorative stamp featuring Hayworth. Springer Associates also announced that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences would be lobbied in hopes of having an honorary Academy Award issued in memory of Hayworth. The press release added that Hayworth's daughter, Princess Yasmin Aga Khan, the Alzheimer's Association of Greater Los Angeles, and numerous prominent personalities of stage and screen were supporting the Moss campaign. The press release stated the target date for fulfillment of the stamp and Academy Award to be on October 17, 2018, the centennial of Hayworth's birth.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[persefolli]

I'm on the idea of reader rejecting tonowari and jake because they have to gi back to their original clan to lead them as their ole'eyktan and spiritual leader and to marry someone else who they love and they feel guilty for rejecting them( tonowari and jake) but they don't regret it

𝐀/𝐧: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐄 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐧.

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐘/𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞

Tonowari and Jake sat in the back row of the lined up seats. Tears prickled Tonowari’s eyes as the drums began sounding. They watched as the first few rows of na’vi stood. They didn’t though, wanting to maintain their inconspicuous aura. 

Voices of na’vi women singing echoed throughout the forest, announcing the bride's arrival. 

Out you stepped, with flowers in your hands, face painted, and a large headdress.

Jake’s expression darkened, seeing that bright smile on your face. It hurt him knowing that the beautiful smile on your face was aimed at another man. Tonowari couldn’t hold his composure, and tears began streaming down his face at a constant rate. Jake winced hearing his best friend sob beside him, but he nudged him, hoping the clan leader wouldn’t draw any attention.  

They smelled your sweet fruity scent as you walked past them, not even recognizing or acknowledging the two men that once loved you. As they saw you walking further and further from them, they remembered what got them into this position in the first place. 

---

“You don’t understand!” You screamed, pointing at the taller, darker na’vi. “I have worked my entire life for this! I can’t throw it away for you I-'' You clasped your hands over your mouth realizing how harsh your words were. Jake's ears tilted down and he looked at you with the most pained face ever.

“Maybe we should all calm down and talk this out_”

You slapped Tonowari’s hand away and stepped back. “There's nothing to discuss. I’m in love with someone else. No discussion or gifts will change that.” Your voice cracked.

Tonowari looked defeated, but was more composed than Jake, who had a look of anger oncoming. 

“I dreamed of marrying a mighty warrior, one whose worst issue was other clans, not aliens from another planet.” You threw another jab at the burdens that came along with Jake’s existence on pandora. “I want to be my own leader. And lead my own people, not a clan that I am estranged to.” You looked up at Tonowari. 

Yes, what you were saying was totally messed up but it was true. Tonowari expected you to marry into a clan that didn’t fully accept you. And Jake expected you to leave your lover at home for him, who didn’t have the most trustworthy track record.

“You two are amazing men, and strong leaders I admit. But you are not what I want in a husband, and it would be an ultimate sin to leave everything I've worked for…”

“For us.” Jake finished your sentence.

---

That ordeal was weeks ago, and the two mens still found themselves losing sleep over it. It was dumb to fall in love with a woman who was taking her coronation tour and expect her to leave everything behind. 

The two watched as you made it to the altar, and locked hands with the man you would soon call you husband. The man you were going to have kids with and spend the rest of your life with. A man that was not them.

As everyone sat, the two of them stood. 

In the corner of your eye you saw the height difference between the two. Recognizing the different hues in skin tone as well. But you didn’t turn your head, you were too enamoed in the man that was standing right in front of you.

You did feel bad, knowing that those two loved you so, but they meant nothing to you, and that's just something they would have to accept.