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I have daggers, devils, skulls, and shit like that all over me. I also have flowers and more feminine stuff. You may learn to love it. Try not to worry so much. You can laser it if you want to, but as @Gingerninja said, just own your inner badass and own it!

You could use that as an inspiration piece for a worthy artist's own layout . . .

Getting my right arm finished this week ... TOMORROW! Baby O'Boogie's first full sleeve. :-) Aw. Really excited about it! Haven't seen the design yet, but I'm sure I will love it. Josh never lets me down.

Aw, but it is such a good tattoo. Why did you like the design in the first place? Can you get back there? Let it sit. Wear long sleeves for a while. Don't rush into another decision that may not help.

I don't know about the symmetrical issue, but it's waaaaay to much detail for an arm tattoo. That would have to be huge, like a full back.

Sounds like good advice. You've already done one thing you regret. This is a recipe for disaster. I've seen a lot of God-awful tattoos on people who couldn't wait to cover them. If you rush into this, you are more likely to make it worse than better. Take a deep breath, calm down and just accept that it's going to take time to fix. If you are old enough to get a tattoo, then you are old enough to get your own money. Get a job , earn money , fix it .

"narrow target" means limited options. Darker images, especially those via cover-ups don't lend themselves to traditional feminine images. If you don't want to live with it, laser it lighter (hopefully 3-4 sessions?) to open up your options on a cover-up. There are a couple of world class tattooists in Puerto Rico - but I'm drawing a blank on names at the moment . . .

that is a great looking tattoo. just leave it and learn from it, he (the fish monster) may remind you (in time) that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. here's an idea...put something bigger, brighter and more 'feminine' on the outside of the forearm to juxtapose and contrast the scary merman-monster...perhaps a elegant mermaid with flowing hair and a shimmering tail, tonnes of aqua blues and greens, with finger waves splashes wrapping around to the inside of the arm fading in and around the monster head. That gives you bright/feminine on the outside of the arm, dark/bold on the inside. but hey, you gotta send us a pic and give me an internet high-five if you use that idea ;) you'll figure it out, don't rush, good ideas come with time...cheers

hello @Jbrnes i would suggest you just leave it. life is about learning. so what if the font/placement is slightly off ? the message likely is your truth (considering you're holding a baby in the picture!). so own it and don't live life with regret, it's too short and that is not what tattoo is about. if you dig the idea of a rose, put it on the other side. roses make great tattoos. but i think you can get more creative than that, especially in a visible place like the neck. get some other tattoos all over the body, each experience will guide and inform you. And yes, get a panther tattoo. Doesn't matter where. Just get one, you won't regret that !

Tattoos that last the longest are the ones that are made well and proper. What can you do? Check out the shops (in person, not on your iphone), ask/talk to people you see around who wear really nice tattoos. Inform yourself. Choose a simple timeless design with a crisp outline and a generous amount of black/contrast. Take your time, do your research, can't stress that enough. Seek out a proper tattooist who will make you the best god damn first tattoo you could ask for. You'll know when you've found the right tattooist to pop your tattoo cherry. Then find him (or her) 10 years later and say thank you. Life is temporary. Tattoos are forever.

When I got my first tattoo, I asked my tattooist "hey what's this going to look like over time, will it fade?" he told me straight up, "it will look better and better as it ages. you come find me in 10 years and tell me otherwise". So I did seek him out 10 years later and told him he was right and then we got started on my backpiece. That first tattoo is so solid and buttery you would not be able to tell it is 15 years old. I owe this man a lot for the tattoo truths he has given and made for me.

Thanks for you help, i really appreciate it.

Well, screw what people say. Their reactions tell you more about them than anything about you. My suggestion: own it. Use it to power you while you figure out your options.

Ah, gottcha. You'd be surprised to know how many women have imagery like this! I think it's bad ass... Take a bunch of deep breaths and do research on coverups. Where are you located?