Sinfest

Vox Raucus · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:10 am Post subject: Body Art

A thread within which we discuss the wonders of the Tatttoo!! They can be spur of the moment, or reveal deep-seated personality traits, and I'm always curious to see other people's tattoos both for inspiration and to find out the stories behind them.

Do you have them? How many? Do they have any significance to you? Do you want one? What do you want?

I have two tattoos.

This is a Baptismal Cross, which I got two years ago I think. It's a Greek cross (+) and a chi (Greek letter X, representative of Christ in Christian art), enclosed in a circle, representing totality and eternity. It's an ancient Christian symbol, also appropriate by the Anabaptist during the Reformation (I'm half Mennonite by heritage). It represents my discovery of ancient Christianity and Anabaptist, and the dismantling of the theology I had grown up with.

I come from a very puritan upbringing, good in a few ways and very very bad in others. While my dad encouraged some freedom of thought, and (in true Miltonian fashion) allowed me to read whatever I wanted, the moral expectations of the house were extremely high. While I still carry a lot of baggage from my childhood, I also appreciated the emphasis on social action and gained an appreciation for theology, which I retain to this day. Although I'm now agnostic, I am fascinated by theological reflection, ecumencial and historical theology, and dogmatics. I'm not entirely sure why, maybe it's the whole "what if" factor that drives science fiction.

I guess it was both my backhanded compliment to my upbringing (tattoos are not acceptable to the puritan mind) as well as a signpost that I was free to think and act according to my own ideas, and not be held hostage by other peoples.

My second tattoo (acquired last week) is a gecko (inside of left forearm):

This was totally spur of the moment. A day and a half between deciding I wanted another tattoo and getting this. Why a gecko? Because I found a design that I liked, and I like geckos. I got quite a reaction to the red ink (apparently fairly common?), my forearm swelled up and it's scabbed over quite badly, but that's all part of the experience.

Right now the eyes are blank, and I haven't decided what to do with them. I had thought red originally, but that makes it look too evil. Green, but it doesn't look like it would fit. Any suggestions?

Now, post your own!
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Eiden · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 336

Needles.

Yorick · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 12065 Location: Mary's kesh

I would think if you were to have artwork permanently attached to your body, you'd want it to be better drawn.

What's with the wagon wheel?
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Flion · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:56 pm Post subject:

Yes, but if you've got to insert needles in your body, better they should have ink than other substances. Well, you'd expect that from me, I guess.

I've said it somewhere before: I'm not a f**ry. Nor is it a pun on my being a pilot. The winged lion is the symbol of St. Mark. Not that I am particularly Christian. I am a recovering Catholic and Mark is not even one of my names (middle, baptismal, confirmation...). No, I was simply in the SCA and my persona was from Venice. The patron saint of Venice is St. Mark. So the winged lion began to appear on my 'coat of arms' and on gifts that people gave me (I have plenty of favors embroidered with winged cats and lions and one girl even made me a winged lion teddy bear). Later, when I'd got over my SCA fixation, it still made a good hook for D&D characters and Ren Faire and even started infiltrating my real life. Then came the Internet and MMOs. After all this time, it's pretty much an indelible second name now.

By the way, despite the disparaging remarks above, I'm not irreligious. I'm just anti-organized-religion. At best they are fan clubs; at worst they are terrorist organizations. And we never see them at their best. God deserves better.

Oh, you will have to just speculate about my other tattoos (I don't have any others that are generally visible in normal street wear), except that I have a black rose in memory of loved ones who have passed on.
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picturesofsky · Joined: 13 May 2008 Posts: 3074 Location: England

Vox Raucus · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:20 pm Post subject:

reasonablymad · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 6784

I don't have any tattoos and I never will. I have nothing against them generally. in fact, some can be quite nice. they're just not for me. same reason I don't wear any clothing with pictures, gratuitous logos, messages, icons, etc. or wear a watch, ring or any other sort of adornment. shit just bugs me.
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trustedfaith · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 2:57 pm Post subject:

reasonablymad · Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 6784

... really? I hardly think so. I'm not trying to be cool (or being cool by trying to be not cool...). these actions are not a fashion statement or meant to comment on the pitfalls of conformist nonconformity. it's just a kind of psychological allergy.
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Uncle Taylorbell · Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Posts: 3191 Location: Northern England

Yorick · Joined: 11 Jul 2006 Posts: 12065 Location: Mary's kesh

trustedfaith · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:56 pm Post subject:

Snorri · Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:57 pm Post subject:

CTrees · Joined: 21 Jul 2006 Posts: 3613

My mind changes often enough that I'm not sure I'd ever feel truly comfortable getting a tattoo, except for possibly my family's coat of arms. I've been pondering that for awhile.

andrew · Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 4495 Location: the raging sea

It took me two years to plan and execute my first tattoo. It's between my shoulder blades:

I've been planning another for the past...four years. Still haven't quite gotten it down yet, but I have another one in mind already that's separate, and I'm pretty sure about that one; going to sit on it for a year or two first to make sure it's what I want, though.