marfil98

Dan, as I see the difference here is that there are many military and civilian applications related to the sea, sailing and anchors. And, as the OP mentioned, there are daggers in all forms and types out there. In this specific case, the Death Before Dishonor does have a more specific military history and link. Again, people are free to do what they want - and it's certainly not my place to judge. Just offering my humble opinion. If anything, I am very much against PC.

Yeah, after doing a bit more research I've decided against it. What I wanted to know was basically: If you saw someone with this tattoo would you assume they were in the military? And now knowing that answer is yes, I can't in good conscience get it. I still want some form of dagger tattoo on my forearm but I'll go with something with no ties to the military, like a dagger through a rose, or through a panther head, or through a skull etc.
I agree with you on the whole political correctness thing Dan, but in my opinion, nowadays nobody assumes that someone's in the navy because they have an anchor tattoo. Much like sparrows/swallows and nautical stars, anchors have become a mainstream staple of traditional tattoos. And likewise I wouldn't assume that someone was Maori because they had polynesian tribal tattoos. But this specific design, the "Death Before Dishonor" dagger, still seems to be worn mainly by members of the military. I agree that nobody owns any form of art and I don't buy into the whole "cultural appropriation" thing either, hey, if you want to get something like a mandala or whatever go for it! But let's say you were to get a tattoo of the Wal*Mart logo, it would be logical to assume that you were or are employed by walmart. Again, I'm not trying to tell anybody what they can and can't do, but in my personal opinion military tattoos are like MC colors, if you haven't earned them, don't wear them.

I was never in the Navy,but I got my anchor tattoo like many people have  and I'll guess most have not been in the Navy either.
just like my Marquesas ,and my polynesian,and native american feathers tattoos,is all just art. 
I don't think it's disrespectful at all,screw the politically correct crap !  
like I said before,nobody owns a style or form of art.
IMO no big deal.
sorry for the rant,and I didn't mean to derail your thread.

In my mind, this tattoo does have a more specific military meaning - although it can obviously be tied to the greater concept of virtue and the commitment to protect it at all costs. A quick search of the web will yield many references to it as having a military tie. As a retired Army officer, I would automatically assume that anyone I saw with this tattoo had some military experience. That said, people are free to have whatever they want as a tattoo. Personally, this falls into the real of "just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should."  And, of course, this is just my own very personal opinion.  Actually, if/when I opt to have a lower arm tattoo done, some version of this would be my choice.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! Nice work - and it's even more so because it has special meaning to you. Well done. I waited until I was almost 61 to get my first so you're on a better timeline than me.

Incoming eagle above, something horned below.

Well, I just got back from the shop a few hours ago to finish coloring/shading my moth tattoo. I was told the blue and dark brown in the head would lighten up a bit making the contrast/shading more visible. Will post a healed pic in a few weeks.
P.S. If it looks slightly crooked, it's just stretched due to my arm taking the picture.

LOL stop looking at it with a microscope ! it's a tattoo on your skin,it's not a perfect art.
as tiny as that tattoo is,it looks fine for what it is.
let it heal,enjoy it and move on.
is that your first tattoo ?
remember it takes 6 months to fully heal.

Looks fine! Remember that it's a tattoo and will therefore change appearance as it heals and ages, and try not to worry about it. You'll get used to it with time. 

I think it looks pretty good, not my style but still, its meant to have that hand drawn sketch look right? I honestly like it. What is it though? It reminds me of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.

I think it looks just fine, don't sweat it. Let it heal and then if you're still not satisfied with the results have your artist touch it up, but again, I think it looks good just the way it is.

Hi, I got a tattoo back in October and just had it touched up yesterday. She added some white lines in the crane but do they look OK? They seem a bit wobbly to me, but maybe that's just because it's just been done and it will change appearance when it's healed? Any feedback would be appreciated :-) thanks

Thanks for replying guys another person told me it reminds them of groot

I think it looks pretty good, not my style but still, its meant to have that hand drawn sketch look right? I honestly like it. What is it though? It reminds me of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy.

pretty good. not bad. not fabulous. 

Do you like it? That's all that matters.

I can understand the emotions you go through. The before, during, and after of getting a tattoo is very different then anything i have experienced. I know i have stopped and looked at myself and thought "wow! when did i get so many tattoos!" and then think what can i get next!

My wife and I each have three tattoos and have gone through some similar feelings to varying degrees after each one. Just as a disclaimer, we both love our work, it is amazing, no regrets, exactly what we wanted, etc.
Does anyone else feel slightly depressed after getting tattooed? My wife has cried after two of hers (she loves them both) just because her body has been forever changed and she tends to respond more emotionally than I do. I've definitely felt minor pangs of sadness - kind of like a low-level grief that happens after any climactic event.
I started an half sleeve yesterday, had months to think about it before starting, etc, and I love the work. Its just this strange wistful/longing feeling that takes a couple of days to go away! Can you all relate?
I'll toss up some pics as the tattoo progresses.

The origin of the phrase seems to be dating from the Roman empire, so it's not some marines or modern military saying.

all sounds totally normal to me,whether one has 2 or 30 tattoos,I think it's a normal human feeling,I get it still too.

You know, I've been wanting to get that Sailor Jerry skull and crossbones/heart tattoo for a while now. After seeing how cool it looks on you I just might have to now, as if I didn't have enough skulls already 

"Starting my rib sleeve. #girlswithtattoos #inkedgirls #judgeme #suicidegirl #ink"

Here are several of my American traditional tattoos. All by Joshua Henderson, except for the monkey with the skull. That one is Richard Stell. (Sorry I didn't crop out the non-AT tattoos.)