Comments | thepurpleswitch: steal all my records.

thepurpleswitch

steal all my records.

Jul 27, 2006 14:30

I've been thinking a lot about permanent markings lately (read: pretty much my whole life). Seriously considering getting a tattoo. Been doing some research for the past several months. Narrowed it down to one or two or all of three kanji, behind the cut.

( yan2 ren3 guan3. )

art, kink, tattoo

Comments 17

impasto July 27 2006, 22:54:59 UTC

visually, i like the first two best. i like the idea of the third, too, but the character looks to me a bit lit an actual, you know, character. i see eyes and a nose and arms and a body. but that's just me, and it's still very cool.

and, yeah. markings. 'nuff said. *g*

impasto July 27 2006, 22:55:26 UTC

like, not lit, sheesh. butterfingers!

thepurpleswitch July 27 2006, 23:00:00 UTC

Heee.

thepurpleswitch July 27 2006, 23:02:12 UTC

See, the first one always makes me think of a person, or an inukshuk, right away. I didn't see anything like a "character" in the third one--probably because I was seeing the root pictographs of bamboo, legion, and hall--until you said something. And now I keep giggling when I look at it, which is ironic, considering what it means :P

I think I'm going to ask the bf to draw them on me to see how they look. Yes. It will only be an experiment. I will not enjoy it at all!

Thread 7

wizened_cynic July 28 2006, 01:31:57 UTC

The middle one is the best. Visually and meaning-wise. Take it from the Chinese girl.

thepurpleswitch July 28 2006, 16:50:54 UTC

I figured as much. But the other two are--important things I need to remember. Perhaps I can find other symbols or images for those concepts. The kanji really do look unpleasantly--kanji-ish; trendy and gimmicky, you know?

(And oh boy, was I worried you were going to hate me [more] for posting about getting kanji tattoos. I hate people with kanji tattoos.)

Thanks for the advice. I do appreciate it :)

wizened_cynic July 29 2006, 01:40:25 UTC

Yeah, the words for those two are really kind of ugly. There are other words for speak, and I'm trying to think of less ugly ones. This computer doesn't type Chinese, so it's a pain.

Oh, I don't really mind people with kanji tattoos. I just think the ones who get them without knowing what they mean are totally stupid. Or if they are Chad Michael Murray. Since you are not Chad Michael Murray and you did your research, I very much approve.

zazuomgwtf July 28 2006, 06:34:12 UTC

the first one does something for me visually.
but they are all pretty.
I have a tattoo of a chinese symbol:

( ... )

thepurpleswitch July 28 2006, 16:53:06 UTC

Pretty!

(For a second, I was like, "Dude, that's 'submissive'!" The two are really confusingly similar, probably for the obvious reasons.)

Yeah, I like the clean, straight lines of the first one, and it reminds me of an inukshuk, or a polynesian tribal mask or something.

mandysbitch July 28 2006, 12:53:21 UTC

Ooh - I like the idea of getting "discipline" tattooed on me... *definitely.* But I think I would agree with the crowd that the middle one is more aesthetically pleasing - although I vote for all three! In a line!

I got tattooed last year and since then, I'm loving talking tatts. :) It's a thing.

thepurpleswitch July 28 2006, 16:59:00 UTC

There's a little cartoon on Violently's site of a cleaver hacking into a heart, to illustrate the root of the character. It's very--cute, in a disturbing way, lol.

Speech and discipline are things that I really need to remember and keep in mind, and tattoos are slightly more permanent reminders than, say, tying string on a finger. I think that Endure needs to be done first, though, kind of in celebration or commemoration? And then the learning tattoos can start :P

After I posted, I kept thinking about placement, and realised that the heart is really more central than we usually consider it--I could get them in a line down my spine (if I keep the other two kanji). Which would hurt like dickens, but would also be so so pretty.

I can't remember where you got yours--shoulder, right?

mandysbitch July 29 2006, 02:02:49 UTC

I can't remember where you got yours--shoulder, right?

Yes - because I am a wuss. *g* Actually, I'm fine with pain - I could give myself needles. I told my dentist I could probably administer my own anaesthetic - i'm so fucking used to it.

It probably wouldn't have mattered where I put it pain-wise. But I don't show off other parts of my body very often and I wanted people to see it.

quasiradiant July 28 2006, 15:33:43 UTC

they are all very very pretty, i concur. but remember how EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD has an asian/asian-inspired tattoo! even if you totally speak the language, etc., people are often gonna think, "she just got that because she thought it looked cool. i bet it means, 'the person who has this tattoo is an idiot'!" i don't mean that rudely AT ALL, because i really wanted a tattoo in hebrew (which i, yaknow, speak) but realized it was right around the time of britney's hebrew tattoo debacle and demurred and got something a little less linguistic.

thepurpleswitch July 28 2006, 20:39:01 UTC

You make an excellent point, you do. I've been thinking about just getting Endure, and then looking for other images or symbols for the other concepts (because they're really important to me as well, but I feel like I need to celebrate/commemorate the endurance thing right now), because the kanji for them isn't quite so connected to their meaning for me.

I find word/character tattoos in any language just--unbelievably hot. I don't understand it, but it's pretty nice anyway :P

Thank you for the advice, it is most appreciated!