Request FFIV Rydia/Bahamut image

[Guest anarashka]

This little tale is kind of long, and my apologies for it, but I do want my reasonings to be part of this peice of art.

I am not a visual artist. I specialize in music and have been an active woodwind instrument player for over 8 years, and I have written many peices of poetry in the last 15-16 years or so. However, I cannot even draw a decent looking stick figure. I have all these fantastic images in my head but I just can't get them on paper.

Having said that, here's my story:

When I was about 8, my father gifted me with a SNES and Final Fantasy IV (at the time, US 2). It was my first RPG ever, and it literally changed my life. At 8, I didn't always understand what was happening during the story line jumps, and the game was poorly translated. My father often sat with me to explain what was happening, words I didn't understand, battles that I couldn't quite grasp. We spent many many hours discussing character development and plot lines, as well as monsters and strategies. We laughed and cried together, celebrated victories and mourned the passing of characters together. He was with me when I beat the game the first time, I remember I was so scared but he was with me and everything was fine.

This tradition continued as I became more and more immersed in other Final Fantasies. We often raced to see who could beat the games first, who could get all the secrets. We spent almost every waking moment discussing the latest game project, comparing notes and strategies (much to the annoyance of my step-mother). The only game he beat me in was Earthbound. My father passed away near Christmas time, 1996, after spending a few years in various states of declining health. I was 12 and it nearly destroyed my world.

Due to various events in my life, I am just now coping with the loss of my father, and it pains me every day. I recently purchased the GBA version of FFIV, and playing it through has been one of the most bittersweet things I have ever done, laughing when we used to laugh, and crying when we used to cry. My favorite character was Rydia, and I have always related to her. My mother left when I was about 5 which gave me my initial connection to her, and when my father passed away it only made it stronger.

I am trying to design a tattoo to honor the memories I have with my father when he was not sick. This game and all that it entails was our favorite pasttime. I feel that a tattoo of Rydia summoning bahamut would be most fitting, as it is proof that even someone who has been through hardship after hardship, faced loneliness and loss her whole life, can pull together the hidden strength to overcome every obstacle.

I am planning to have this tattoo done on the tops of my feet, Rydia on one side summoning, and Bahamut being summoned on the other. The goal is to be able to put my feet together to make it one complete image. It doesn't have to be crazy fancy, and with a tattoo, very intricate detail can be lost in the inking in addition to that skin taking a lot of abuse between shoes and weather, etc. I will be keeping traditional colors, greens for Rydia's clothing and hair, and blues/greys for Bahamut. Not sure of the actual summoning or background at this point, as I am not an artist and I don't know what would look decent.

If anyone is interested in this project, please let me know. It may be many years before I complete this as I have absolutely 0 ability to draw on my own. Due to the importance of this project to me, I will more than likely be offering monetary compensation when it is finished. I cannot promise that I will be an easy person to work with, but I will try my best. :) Seeing as how this image will last forever (or at least the rest of my life) I want it to be as close to perfect as possible. Many thanks to everyone!

Amanda Jade