Pugilist

Step off, woman! I thought this backpiece was supposed to make him LESS attractive to the opposite sex?! ;) @BrianH - I know, right? Those were already done when I arrived at the shop and were the first thing I noticed - brutal.

TRUTH. And yeah, this story is so wonderful, and made me so happy for all the awesome people involved. I love that dragon.

Hahaha so comfortable.

Don't worry honey, I'll help you feel that mystical bond by making fun of you on the internet. Xo.

I think I stopped keeping track because you're winning. :(

It was super nice to see you guys, and I am sure you will be a master yogi in no time. :)

@TrixieFaux - glad it went well! I feel like you should start a thread of cute things your students have said about your tattoos, because kids' reactions to tattoos is one of my very favourite things. :) And re: my own tatjam, check instagram! Glad I am not the only one who is anal about strategic shirt sleeve lengths.

How'd it go, @TrixieFaux? Haha. So this weekend I finally put something on one of my arms, and then promptly went out and bought a couple of very light blazers/cardigans to cover my upper arms in warm weather. Our workplace has very inconsistent AC, so warmer months will definitely be tricky. It's funny how over the weekend half of my work tops suddenly became a problem... It also makes me laugh to think how all of my students always seem so proud to show off their tattoos, but I spend so much energy covering mine up! Ah, to be young again... :) Anyway, I have a couple of male colleagues who wear suits every day, year round, which is something that I have always found baffling about male dress (how do you DO this and not melt?) So I figure I should survive needing to wear shirts that go down to my elbows.

@BrianH - you saw his butt. You're now either friends or enemies.

You seem like a thoughtful guy with great taste, so please don't read this as me calling you out but rather being curious to unpack the above statement and understand it - what do you mean by this and how did you come to this "goal"? I have never thought of having a goal to the tattoos I get other than getting stuff I love, that speaks to me, and that feels right on my body. And it sounds like the Southern California black and grey stuff does that for you, which is awesome. So I am curious as to what you perceive the difference to be between getting tattoos you love and having a collection with a particular goal and theme in mind, like an art gallery? PS Chris Brand's backpieces are incredible, so I can see why you'd want one! I think focusing on finding a story/image that feels right for you might solve the problem that you were worried about in your OP.

Dudes, I need a weekend from my weekend. We conventioned HARD this year. I am done.

I just watched that Q&A and it's the kind of thing that gives me the warm fuzzies about this weird world of tattooing. Amazing, thoughtful people with so much integrity and insight.

We'll miss you guys too, Mark! Hope we have a reason to hang out soon.

Looking forward to hanging with you nerds.

Holy crud that is a cute fish!

OMG yes that is exactly what I was picturing. :)

Welcome to teaching for a living... But for serious, I want to turn this thread into pictures of coy fish tattoos.

I would like to see this tattoo! To answer the initial question, this link may be helpful.

I just said that Matrix tattoos aren't particularly special? You're not finding anything because tattoos like that rarely look good, which is why it's not a great idea.

I love it so much when people do that!!! Looks great, @abees

Dude, the Matrix is like the #1 movie for 30-something white dudes who think they're deep. There's no danger of people not "getting" it. People are trying to give you advice because you're sacrificing something that will look good for something that you perceive as meaningful and unique. Get whatever you want and what makes you feel good, but this shit ain't special.

This sucks!!! I know Ron guests at the Pearl often enough, so hopefully you guys can make up the appointment then, but we will miss you!

Yaaaaaaah!

Cool! We will come cheer you on with snacks.

Hey, what day are you getting tattooed, @BrianH ?