Getting a Tattoo?
EliteLamer
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On and off for the years I have always played with the idea of getting a small video game tattoo. I was thinking of the classic 1up tat. Maybe on my wrist but just not sure about how this would change my life having something like that right where everyone can see it. I was reading getting a tat everyone can see is a life changing experience. So I was just curious about how things are after the tat? I suppose I am going to get asked everyday why there is a mushroom on my wrist?
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But of course you shouldn't get one unless you've spent long periods of time wanting it. Preferably one with some sort of personal belief/meaning behind it.
The only meaning the 1up has for me is that it is my culture.
Are you, like, a die-hard serious Mario fan? Did you buy your first Nintendo with your paper route money? Have you faithfully followed every incarnation of the little red plumber from Donkey Kong to Super Mario Galaxies? Do you have your own speed runs up on YouTube? Can you beat The Lost Levels without dying?
Or do you just have some vague conception in your mind like "Hey, I'm a gamer, and it's from a game, let's do it!"?
I mean, if you really do love the world and mythos of the Mario series, then hells yeah, knock yourself out. But if you just want something to do with gaming, look a little deeper. The 1up mushroom isn't a terribly attractive tattoo, and it doesn't seem to have any personal significance to you whatsoever: it doesn't commemorate any specific memory or event, it's just an ugly green blotch. It's the gamer equivalent of a wannabe gangster getting some badass Latin religious phrase written in Gothic script across his chest, or a scrawny otaku getting the kanji for "Fierce-Hearted Great Warrior of Strong Spirit" carved into his back.
Aren't there any games that really meant something to you? If so, why not use something from one of them? If I ever get a tattoo, I've already told my boyfriend that it will be the Symbol of Torment from Planescape, on my left shoulder, because that game was a very significant part of my life at one point: to me, it was a paragon of interactive fiction, a complete novel told in game form. I loved the story, I loved the art style, I loved the characters and the world - I have a poster of Sigil on the wall of my apartment right now, taken from the AD&D Planescape campaign setting which I bought purely out of my love for the game. (I've never actually played tabletop D&D). Sure, I'd have to explain the significance of the tattoo to 99.5% of the people who might see it; it lacks the mass media recognizability of, say, the 1up mushroom. But that's kind of the point, to me. A tattoo should never be for other people, it should be for yourself.
It doesn't sound like the 1up mushroom is for yourself. So what is?
Quoted for fucking truth.
Hell, I got a tattoo on a whim while I was vacationing in Ireland. My cousin did it for free, and sure, it reminds me of my family, but there is no real meaning behind it.
Unfortunately due to a procedural error I instead chose a different tattoo of my home state in a different location. Do I regret the change of heart? No, because my first idea was really really detailed, I didn't know anything about tattoo care/maintenance, I didn't know how my skin would react to the ink, etc etc etc. Plus, I love my home state. My second tattoo will be the idea I had for my first tattoo.
The point being, don't spend so much time thinking about what tattoo you're going to get that you never get it. Just get something you know you'll always like. Once you know what the needle feels like and what the process is and if you develop a good rapport with your artist, you can then go on into the detailed/meaningful stuff.
Just my $0.02.
I know I want this tattoo as I have thought about it for a long time, over a year. Just not sure where to put it.
Maybe its just that I play video games, but 1-up mushrooms don't remind me at all of psychedelic shrooms.
I agree pretty hard.
If you can't write at some length about why you want to get the tattoo, you shouldn't be getting it.
I didn't get them because I love super mario brothers (even though I do) I got them because they are iconic of a period in gaming history. They are a symbol that even people who have never played video games in their lives can easily recognize, they represent an art style and concept that has been the basis for games ever since, and they are one of, if not the most long lived game franchise, ever. I also support my ex girlfriend getting tetris pieces down her leg, for similar reasons, plus she is the best tetris player I have ever met.
EXACTLY!! :^:
Sure, tattoos can be meaningful and hooray for you if you got one that was.
But seriously, tattoos are essentially the equivalent of permanent jewelry. Whether something is MEANINGFUL to you is essentially irrelevant compared to whether you think the tattoo looks good. Sure, if it's meaningful to you then it will contribute to whether you think it's aethetically pleasing, but pretending that tattoos are anything but decorations is pretty much nonsense.
Also, for the record, I am all for both planescape: torment AND mushroom kingdom tattoos. But seriously, the symbol of torment? Anyone getting PS: T tattoos should get the Nameless one's diary tattoo'd on their back, and not because it's MEANINGFUL but because it's AWESOME.
After high school while backpacking across Europe for a month me and my 3 friends started to run low on funds. We had about a week left and only a couple hundred dollars between us. We decided that the only place we could have a drop down awesome time with the limited funds was eastern Europe so OFF we go on a train to Hungary.
Fast forward to a hostel in Budapest our morning there. I wake up to one of my friends Screaming while another is laughing hysterically and the other is passed out on the floor. I am massively hung over. My small asian friend john is flipping the hell out and trevor is laughing his ass off I am like WTF is going on and then john turns around and I see it.
On his back right shoulder about the size of a beer stein is an ugly woman's face tattooed clear as day. Apparently the night before we had all gone to the tattoo parlor for group tattoos but john went first. Well in the course of his tattoo all of us passed out In the tattoo shop. John While he was getting his tattoo. Once we figured this out his tattoo became even more awesome. Because now whenever he lays down with his right arm slung up over his head at a 90 degree angle the ugly woman becomes beautiful.
When he strikes the pass out pose she is a hotty. When he just stands there normally. Ugly.
To this day it is my favorite tattoo in the world and it's not even mine. He is also quite the fan of it and shows it off all the time. Plus it has a great built in story.
So not all tattoo's need to mean something. Sometimes how you get them is much more important.
So after pondering that for a while I thought of 2 things. The first is a Horde symbol from WoW possibly on my wrist so a watch could cover it if need be, and the other (which I like more) being an Autobot symbol on my left forearm and a Decepticon symbol on my right.
At least I have plenty of time to think about it.
As for the transformers one, alot of people have done it.
This isn't meant to disuade you, just to give you some other thoughts.
There are plenty of bad tattoos out there that destroy the canvas they are on, and there are plenty of bad paintings out there which do the same.
I'm getting wings on my back with a sword down the middle if I can make it into Pararescue in the airforce. Its they're Spec Ops symbol. SO :P
What a bunch of tripe. The human body is whatever you make of it. If a tattoo makes you happy, go to town. Become that Leopard guy... and there are many, many beautiful tattoo's out there that are a credit to both the artist and canvas.
Once it heals up and the shading isn't so dark its gonna turn out real nice.
I think if you're comparing cutting to getting a tattoo, you really have no place in this thread anyway.
You can call into question the validity of that meaning or experience (there are arguments to be made against a self-gratifying attitude, but those who are serious about that viewpoint don't focus on body art for very good reasons), but unless you're really good at expressing your views, you're going to have a tough time coming off as anything other than pretentious.
That said, to the OP: just get whatever tattoo you want. Don't let people in here try and convince you that this has to be the most important thing in your life short of childbirth. Some people wear a ring because it symbolizes the sacred bond between them and another. Others wear a ring because they like the look of it. Neither is less valid in those people's own eyes - just be weary of how it could possibly be interpreted by others who can catch a glimpse of it (like mister no-fun above :P).
The MAIN thing is to just make sure you go to a decent artist to get it done. If an artist does not have a portfolio of work available to show you, or if the studio does not 'feel right', then try somewhere else.
Trust me when I say that I'm not discouraging you from getting your tat because I have one myself and I work for the government. In fact I have known people that work with me that have fully exposed arm work but I will tell you that have had to put up with a lot of shit for it and even been denied advancement because of it. My advice, get it somewhere that you can work with but still hide if you need to. Hell you can still get it on your arm if its higher than a tshirt cut or anywhere else otherwise. Your forearms and wrists are just probably the most visible spots when it comes to tattoos. Just think about it before you commit.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
The worst type of impulse buy is something permanent on your body.
That being said, I don't think it matters whether you get a tattoo because it holds some special meaning, or maybe you just like the design. I think as long as you are honest with yourself about what you like, you will end up choosing something you will enjoy for a long time.
Oh yeah, those were just early ideas. I've got a ways off to brainstorm some more.
anyway, even if I get lambasted for being pretentious, just be sure that you (A) really want it and (B) that you have it someplace that you can cover it up, like people have been saying. I also recommend keeping it pretty small - those mushrooms don't really have that much artistic merit, and a little button-sized one somewhere says just as much as a full-back spread.