Tat Me, Babe
Posted on June 13, 2005 Posted by John Scalzi 19 Comments
Because love is not love unless there’s ink involved, and knowing that tattooing has forever cemented the ageless love between celebrities like Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, and Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton, and because we were in Vegas, the land of ill-advised adventures, Krissy and I have memorialized our love in matching barbed wire tattoos, because of course the symbolism of barbed wire means so much to the both of us (I bring it up here all the time, do I not?) and also the other options were all Celtic braids, and those are just plain silly. So there you have it. Love, in black, tar-like ink! And it hardly hurt at all.
/facepalms
Good lord, those are temporary, right?
Why is everybody so down on Celtic braids these days?
More power to you, John, but I think my wife and I will let the platinum-band thing suffice. Good call not going with words, although the sense I get is that you and Krissy have a strong enough relationship not to have to worry about a future “Wino Forever” situation.
The arms are the no pain zone. Apparently the rib area is the very worst. So if you do develop a tattoo addiction–keep away from your ribcage. I’m just saying . . .
It’s not just ribs… it’s really anywhere bony. Ankles, elbows, spines, skulls, wrists, fingers, hips, knees.
Okay, and when I’m talking about painful, what I mean is disconcerting and uncomfortable. The long needles (used for the outline work, rather than filling, shading, and coloring) does thud right into your bone and it’s really uncomfortable.
Otherwise, it’s like somebody pinching you, that uncomfortable, really got barely a scrap of skin, stinging pinch… for 2-6 hours. And then it’s like having a really horrible sunburn in a limited place, like you just failed to sunblock effectively.
The only place that had me wanting to flick the ink slinger on his nose was on the upper inside of my bicep. I had several before that were mildly uncomfortable as they were created, but the last one (an armband above the bicep) out and out hurt.
What, you didn’t get Athena one as well? Don’t you love her?
My wife and I have Master and Slave japanese symbol tattoos. I of course am the master.
It’s nice she lets you think you’re in charge.
Those are henna, right? You didn’t actually permanently deface yourself, did you?
-Paul
They’re not henna.
Not henna and no comment as to whether they are temps.
I wouldn’t be all that much surprise if you had, though Krissy doing it surprises me but I don’t read her posts near daily…
Dunno. My husband is working on a full back piece though which designed together (two Japanese Koi in a Pices arrangement), but he had wanted it for 6 years.
I would hope if it is permanent that you & Krissy had talked about it well beforehand. If it isn’t, fun and great joke.
The arms are the no pain zone.
Ha ha. The LOWER arms.
I have two tattoos and have been wanting another for a decade. Just the other day, I decided to use that unsatisfied want as a writing carrot–if I finish a story to submit to you in the fall, John, I’m going to get myself that third tattoo as a reward! And while we were used book shopping last week, I conveyed my plan to my husband just like this: “John Scalzi’s going to get me my next tattoo.”
So June is apparently “tattoo month” in Scalzi-land.
Holy crap………….Don’t you know that you have to live with those your whole life?
Now all 3 of Mom’s kids are inked up.
I geuss we all actually do have something in common now though. lol I would send pics of mine but im too lazy and no one wants to see them any way. If you ever need that removed ive still got a potato peeler around here somewhere.
“I wouldn’t be all that much surprise if you had, though Krissy doing it surprises me but I don’t read her posts near daily…”
Eeep, she has a blog? *runs off to get the sensible version of the stories* ;)
You are crazy! All of you. I got my tattoo 4years ago because my boyfriend and I thought we were going to be together forever. A year after that he tried to kill me. Now I sit with a ink scar on my arm and want it off, so badly!
Interesting article. Were did you got all the information from?