imagination challenge

[Muratus del Mur]

Hi everyone. 

I have a peculiar challenge for you. All "really good" entries will be properly rewarded, and by "really good" i mean the entry that wins, plus all other entries that i find similarly good but are not selected as the main winner. The reward will consist in wishpoints, rare creatures, and maybe also some of the new things like the enchanted items. Because the challenge is really difficult, i don't want to promise exact rewards, because i don't know yet if the outcome will be at the level i expect, but in any case rewards will be given for your effort, and if someone nails it down and finds impressive ideas for this, legendary rewards will be given (plus possible further collaborations, since this is a task for someone outside md that is looking for a certain kind of creativity).

The task is to depict a series of ideas for a tattoo (in words or inspirational images from the net). You don't have to draw anything, what i am interested in is just the idea. Of course if you can glue some images together or do a basic doodle, to better explain what you mean, it will help but its not mandatory. You can describe it in words (please not to many!) or google images that fit your idea and describe an adaptation if needed, whatever is easier for you. I will do my best to understand what you mean, and further present it.

The tattoo consists of a series of "scenes" or symbols, each idea presented in the list below, needs to be identifiable in its scenes.

 

The concepts are very abstract, and tbh, even i am usually good at this sort of symbolic associations, this time i find it too difficult for me, so i am trying here, because where else could one find such an interesting collection of creative minds if not here.

 

So, the ideas that need to be "represented" are:

 

1. Free love (in the sense that someone loves you (or you love someone) without the motivation of any interest or gain

2. Follow your dream (no specific dream was indicated, but could be connected with point 6 below)

3. Expect nothing, accept anything 

4. kill or get killed

5. Aqua (watter, could be a theme influencing the other points)

6. Music (not obvious by the classic notes, more subtle

7. sawadee kap (the "thank you", gratitude, gesture, thai and other similar parts of the world, you all know it)

 

bonus element: see if you can integrate THIS anyhow.

 

Good luck everyone.

 

 

[Fyrd Argentus]

So, my starting point is the tarot card "The Fool" - a happy fellow tripping along at the top of a cliff.  There is a cloud along the top edge of the tattoo, with a beautiful woman (angel?) at the left side playing a harp.  the fool is making a sawdee kap at her and is obviously smitten.  However, the right side of the cloud is raining down into the mountains behind the fool and a flash flood is coming.  At the bottom of the cliff, waiting for the fool, is your swordsman.

[Else]

4. kill or get killed

3 men around a knife in a triangle formation, mist around them. This comes from the tryouts scene in the movie "The Dark Knight" .

Optionally you can put the sword shade on the top of everything, but it  would be less subtle as it is an obvios representation of The Death in this context.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Else

[lashtal]

8 hours ago, Muratus del Mur said:

1. Free love [...] without the motivation of any interest or gain

2. Follow your dream [...]

3. Expect nothing, accept anything

"Follow your dream" is a matter of will and perseverance.

Using the greek technique of isopsephy, 93 is the number for both "thelema" (= will) and "agape" (= love). Also, "lashtal" formula adds up to 93, and "lashtal" means (among many others) "purposeful will without lust for results".

The tattoo could definitely have a 93 to picture points 1 to 3.

8 hours ago, Muratus del Mur said:

4. kill or get killed

This and the bonus element makes me think of a hooded skull.

8 hours ago, Muratus del Mur said:

5. Aqua (watter, could be a theme influencing the other points)

6. Music (not obvious by the classic notes, more subtle)

Music is vibration, water can be pictured as ripples on the surface.

The band Coil used this concept for their logo:

https://www.soleilmoon.com/shop/coil-name-logo-patch-11915/

8 hours ago, Muratus del Mur said:

7. sawadee kap [...]

 

All in all I would suggest a triangular shape where the (hooded) skull is the apex, the hands join under his chin as in sawadee kap and the number 93 at the centre / heart.

The image is awful but it's just the get the idea.

All this "warped" as if seen through the ripples on the surface.

[Muratus del Mur]

Impressive posts so far. Its nice to see this level of imagination and research. 

There is no timeline for this challange, but it will stop once there are no more entries, so please notify if you are working on something, so i will wait for your answer, then edit your notification and put your answer.

Once i start reviewing these in detail and make some sketches for each (so i can present it further) i will lock the topic and in a couple of days i will give you feedback and ofc the rewards.

[Kyphis the Bard]

Beginning with a raindrop shape, consider the spherical part of the shape as 3/4 full of water, with a choppy tide line marking this transition point.
Centrally, there is a figure (in complex form). This figure extends both above and below the tide line, however they are only drawn down to about their pelvis (extending to the base of the raindrop, after this they would be outside the droplet).
From roughly the point just above where nipples would be they are above the waterline.
Below the waterline, they are mostly a skeleton. Their ribcage is spread slightly open, showing their heart (either realistic or artistic heart symbol). A pair of skeletal arms reaches from behind the figure, across the lower section of their rib cage, and embraces the heart in an offering gesture.
A second pair of skeletal arms also extends below the waterline, this set coming from the figures shoulders as normal instead of from behind them. The upper arms rest down their torso, with their forearms pointing inwards and up towards the surface of the water once more. From shortly below the wrists the hands emerge from the water, regaining their flesh, forming the sawadee kap gesture in the rough vicinity of the upper sternum.
Above the waterline, the figure appears to be shown facing both left and right (that is, they are shown to have two heads).
The right head faces to the right, with their face tilted downwards. A set of arms extends from the torso's right shoulders, in a gesture of offering, with the hands held in front of and above the downward facing right head.
The left head faces towards the left, head tilted upward and mouth open as though trying to say something. A single arm extends from the torso's left shoulder, this is extended in front of and above the left head approximately in line with the left head's eyeline. The hand is extended in a gesture best described as a caress.
Below the waterline, fish swim through the water and the bones.

This is as far as the scenes naturally suggest themselves to me, any further elements would be forced symbolism from me so I'm disinclined to expand further without additional feedback that might provide inspiration 🤷‍♂️

Edited July 19, 2022 by Kyphis the Bard

[Valoryn]

I would represent 1-4 with three human figures seen sideways and forming a circle with their bodies. Going counter-clockwise:

- One figure holding its heart out with both hands, giving it away unconditionally and expecting nothing in return. A subtle light can be seen emanating from the figure’s chest to make it a little more obvious it’s his own heart that’s being offered.

- One figure facing a hand holding a blade about to stab him in the chest. The figure holds that hand from the wrist with his left hand and a blade of his own with his right hand. This figure is also stepping on the shoulders of the previous one.

- One figure stepping on the shoulders of the previous one and holding the ankle of the next one (the first figure described above) with one hand, the other hand extended as if trying to reach out to something. This is to depict the “follow your dream” part, while connecting it to both the “kill and get killed” part -- potentially to show the obstacles/hard decisions and so on that need to be made when pursuing one’s own dream -- and to the “free love”/”expect nothing” parts -- potentially to show that in order to follow one’s own dream one needs to/is willing to pour one’s own heart into it. 

The sawadee kap gesture could be depicted in the empty space in the centre of the circle with the hooded shade right behind it.

In the above case, water and music are represented very subtly as the flow of movement along the circle from one figure to the next. They can become a little more obvious by adding a wavy waterline above the circle and moving the sawadee kap and hooded shade pair right above the waterline instead.

[Ailith]

I imagine the shape of a hooded robed figure but without a fine outline. the 'material' of the robe is a watery surface which is resonating with movement from soundwaves surrounding the figure.

At the centre, where your figure is holding a sword pointed downwards, I imagine a long sharp shard of metal which shines like sparkling starlight.

Turquoise-green branch-like arms reach down to grasp the shard. Pairs of these branch-like arms repeat one above the other, their hand position moving slightly more upwards until the top two are together like hands placed in the 'namaste' position.

Above the hilt of the shard, where you would expect to see a face in the hood, there is a sun - not yellow but a piercing white-silver with strong energy emanating from it.

 

The idea is that nothing in the picture is clean lines or block figures or shapes. Everything is resonating or being moved by some kind of energy. 

(This is what I have so far, may add more)

Edited July 21, 2022 by Ailith

[Handy Pockets]

I would like to contribute but I will need time.  Like Ailith, I too, will need a couple of days.

(PLACEHOLDER)

[Muratus del Mur]

Thanks for using placeholders. If nobody else wants to write an entry (or a placeholder for writing it later), i will start reviewing the entries as soon as HP completes hers.

[Rona]

On 7/19/2022 at 12:23 AM, Muratus del Mur said:

Hi everyone. 

I have a peculiar challenge for you. All "really good" entries will be properly rewarded, and by "really good" i mean the entry that wins, plus all other entries that i find similarly good but are not selected as the main winner. The reward will consist in wishpoints, rare creatures, and maybe also some of the new things like the enchanted items. Because the challenge is really difficult, i don't want to promise exact rewards, because i don't know yet if the outcome will be at the level i expect, but in any case rewards will be given for your effort, and if someone nails it down and finds impressive ideas for this, legendary rewards will be given (plus possible further collaborations, since this is a task for someone outside md that is looking for a certain kind of creativity).

The task is to depict a series of ideas for a tattoo (in words or inspirational images from the net). You don't have to draw anything, what i am interested in is just the idea. Of course if you can glue some images together or do a basic doodle, to better explain what you mean, it will help but its not mandatory. You can describe it in words (please not to many!) or google images that fit your idea and describe an adaptation if needed, whatever is easier for you. I will do my best to understand what you mean, and further present it.

The tattoo consists of a series of "scenes" or symbols, each idea presented in the list below, needs to be identifiable in its scenes.

 

The concepts are very abstract, and tbh, even i am usually good at this sort of symbolic associations, this time i find it too difficult for me, so i am trying here, because where else could one find such an interesting collection of creative minds if not here.

 

So, the ideas that need to be "represented" are:

 

1. Free love (in the sense that someone loves you (or you love someone) without the motivation of any interest or gain

2. Follow your dream (no specific dream was indicated, but could be connected with point 6 below)

3. Expect nothing, accept anything 

4. kill or get killed

5. Aqua (watter, could be a theme influencing the other points)

6. Music (not obvious by the classic notes, more subtle

7. sawadee kap (the "thank you", gratitude, gesture, thai and other similar parts of the world, you all know it)

 

bonus element: see if you can integrate THIS anyhow.

 

Good luck everyone.

 

 

I imagined a g-clef, where the round part is drawn like a dreamcatcher (as a symbol for music and following your dreams) two skulls touching one another, a little broken with a sword/knife or blade in-between (for kill or get killed) a poppy flower and a lotus flower(as symbols for expect everything and accept anything) the flowers surrounding a harp(witch is a celtic symbol unconditional love) as an alternative for the harp it could also be a stylized image of a celtic bowen knot with the two flowers in two parts of the knot.(the bowen knot is also a synbol for unconditional love) and o the whole tattoo could be framed by alot of japanese style (perhaps blue?) waves that come together on the top building two hands making the sawadee gesture.

[Muratus del Mur]

On 7/19/2022 at 8:01 PM, Handy Pockets said:

I would like to contribute but I will need time.  Like Ailith, I too, will need a couple of days.

(PLACEHOLDER)

HP, should i still wait or you gave up?

[Muratus del Mur]

Fyrd Argentus, lashtal,  Kyphis the Bard, Valoryn, Ailith, Rona
managed to describe a coherent overall image. Some of you where more creative than others, and some put more focus on the symbol meaning and i appreciate that a lot. However, you all put effort into imagining something difficult, so you will all get the same reward, a wishpoint. 

In a couple of days when i will be less stressed with work, i want to read your entries again and pick one, or two, that i consider to create the most powerful image, but also the most realistic. Some things you described are not that easy to represent, while other descriptions are less abstract, so more usable.

The end "beneficiary" of this contest is not a MD-er , so i will write on his behalf and tell you what he considers the best entry to be

Else - just one point detailed (1 Gold)

Handy Pockets - skipped (no reward)
 

 

Thank you all for participating!

[Handy Pockets]

I am sorry I took so long to answer.   I will pass on this quest.   thank you for waiting

[Kyphis the Bard]

On 8/11/2022 at 7:02 AM, Muratus del Mur said:

The end "beneficiary" of this contest is not a MD-er , so i will write on his behalf and tell you what he considers the best entry to be

So what were their opinions :3?

[Muratus del Mur]

None of these, he decided to do some ultrarealistic thing, completely not the symbolic things we discussed here. Its not anyone's fault, i liked the answers here a lot more