3rd Tattoo

Where my Harry Potter nerds at?????

Just me? OK. Weirdos.

For those of you who don’t know, this symbol is called the “deathly hallows” from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The shape symbolizes 3 objects given to 3 brothers: the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand. The story of these items are really long and if you want to really learn about it in detail, go read the books. If you’re lazy, watch the last 2 movies. If even that is too much for you, you are truly missing out.

Harry Potter is another of my favorite series of books so I got it on the same placement as my Angel Rune tattoo (see post 2nd Tattoo for more information). While I knew I wanted the Deathly Hallows symbol, I also wanted something else from the series because the shape is very standard for many fans of the Wizarding World. In the end, I decided on the word “Always” and for those of you who don’t know, this was a word said by Severus Snape to Albus Dumbledore in a time of great sorrow. Snape grew up with Harry’s mother, Lily who was killed when Harry was just a baby. In the Wizarding World there is a spell called Expecto Patronum where a bright light of pure love and joy is created to block out and protect a person from creatures called Dementors, who feed on that love. When casting the spell, the light takes the shape of an animal that symbolizes the inner self of the person casting. Harry’s and his father’s patronus is a Stag, or male deer. Lily’s patronus was a Doe, or female deer. Seems perfect right? Well, it came to light that Snape had been in love with Lily since childhood, and when Dumbledore asked Snape if the love he had still existed something beautiful happened.

Snape produced his patronus and a Doe flied out of his wand. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears. “After all this time?” “Always,” said Snape.

I chose to put Always under my Deathly Hallows tattoo because it symbolizes the true love that Snape felt for Lily no matter the distance. He never loved another.

In the Wizarding World community, “Always” has become one of the most known quotes to all and is the most meaningful as well.

2nd Tattoo

Jump back a few years to my 2nd ever tattoo. Many people think that this symbol means I am a Taurus, and those who read my About page can tell you I am a Capricorn. So what does it mean?

This symbol is called an Angel Rune and it comes from one of my favorite book series called “The Mortal Instruments” by Cassandra Clare. You hear about this symbol in the first book and it remains throughout the series. I first discovered these books back in 2013 and have since bought and read many of the books. Clare has written not only the original series “The Mortal Instruments”, but also a prequel series called “The Infernal Devices,” a post series called “The Dark Artifices,” some side stories of other characters called “The Bane Chronicles” and “Shadowhunter Academy”, and now many other prequel series that tie into “The Mortal Instruments”. For more information on Cassandra Clare and all of her fantastic novels, you can check out her website to see book releases and see all the series she has created: www.cassandraclare.com.

I have always been a fan of love stories as well as the horror/ fantasy category of vampires, werewolves, warlocks, and demons. These series have all of them, as well as the group called Shadowhunters. This group of people was blessed by the Angel Raziel many years ago with his blood and the Shadowhunters now are born with half human and half angel blood. The Angel Rune that I got my tattoo for is the first Rune a Shadowhunter receives to show they can take the power of the Angel. While normal humans can be brought into the process of becoming a Shadowhunter, not all humans survive getting that first Rune.

Runes vary from extra powers such as Stealth, Speed, Iratze (healing) and Accuracy to symbols of their status such as the Wedding Union Rune and the Parabatai Rune. Each rune gives a type of strength or skill that Shadowhunters use throughout their fight against demons. The Angel Rune is the most symbolic as it was the first Rune received by the Angel Raziel.

This book series is pure fantasy and it is one of the things I love about it. It is a show of pure excitement and action as well as love and loss. There was a movie based on the first book, “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones,” but fans of the series are much more involved with the TV show on Freeform called “Shadowhunters.” The show only got 3 seasons, but it is truer to the original story and Clare herself even puts her 2 cents into each episode. For those interested in watching the show, here is the link: Shadowhunters.

My First Tattoo

This may seem like a silly tattoo to some of you, but this is my first one that I got 1 day before my 22nd birthday.

I found an artist I liked on Instagram and I loved his watercolor style of work. He designed a lot of his own pieces which I also thought was very cool. One day, he posted a design on his page and said he wanted to try it out on someone and if anyone was interested it would be discounted. I loved the layout and thought it was magical enough for my tastes. The original design had an elephant hanging off the balloons, but he agreed to change it to a panda for mine. The date was set and the nervousness set on my shoulders.

Remember, this was my first tattoo and I was going alone. None of my friends at the time could take off work to go with me, so I was on my own. And I was terrified.

Looking back, I realized I didn’t need to be so nervous. The best part? I barely felt any pain. The shoulder is one of the least painful places to get a tattoo because there is a lot of skin and no bone close to the surface. This piece took about 4 hours and I was dozing off through most of it. We talked sometimes, but it was mostly the buzzing of the machine going through my ear. That was the only part that took getting used to. The needle was dragging across my skin, but it was just irritating, not painful.

Today, I wish I would’ve gotten this piece a little bigger to cover my entire shoulder, but I do not regret the piece itself. I love the color and the panda hangs right at the end of my shirts. It is a great piece that I have come to appreciate as my biggest and first piece.

After the Peel

It’s officially been 2 weeks since I got my new tattoos and things have been happening!

As I mentioned in my Healing post, the first 2 weeks after your new tattoo is critical for color and texture. Treating your tattoo like an open wound is the best mentality you can have. It is sensitive to sunlight, chemicals, touch, and more. But now that I made it past that 2 week mark and I can actually touch my own tattoo, what’s next?

I survived the peeling and the itching and the swelling and the shine. Now what? Some tattoo artists will recommend putting on unscented lotion for another week depending on the size, but since my new tattoos are small in size and were done with a single needle they are done. Just because the “healing” is done, that does not mean that the trouble is over. At this point, I can now put sunscreen on my tattoos, but I recommend the most natural kind you can find. My worst fear is the fading of my tattoos because they look awful and it means I may have to get them touched up later on, meaning more pain and needles.

As they are now, my tattoos are still very sensitive to the sun as well as certain chemicals like chlorine, so no pool for me. Tattoos should not enter chlorinated water for at least 2 months, though I am believer of the 3-month rule.

My new tattoos are finally healed up and ready for the world, minus the pool.

What will my next tattoo be? You will soon find out.

My New Tattoos

So as I promised, I finally got my new tattoos! Numbers 4 and 5 are official. Many people out there who don’t understand tattoos will probably ask what they mean and why I got them where I did. My answer? Because they are pretty and I wanted them there!

No but really, I have a meaning for both of these haha.

So yes, I got a rose and a lotus. I know. I just wrote a post about flowers and stereotypical they can be, but I also said how they can have different meanings for people. I am a person, so I am included in that.

The Rose: I have always thought roses were beautiful, but that is not why I chose a rose for this tattoo. See the initials TR? That’s for my mom. Her middle name is Rose. The rose is also her birth month flower (June). So while it is for my mom, there is a third reason behind it that goes back to my childhood. I was a Barbie child. Yes, hold the laughter. Point is, I had a Belle barbie doll from Beauty and the Beast with both outfits and it was perfect. I also had a little Kelly doll (the child sized version) that looked like me with blonde hair and blue eyes. My mom has brunette hair, just like Belle. So? I played with my barbie dolls as if they were my family. I always saw my mom as a beautiful Disney character, even though now she is more of a Wonder Woman Amazon Goddess standing at 6’3. My mom has always been one of my best friends growing up, so I knew I wanted something to represent her since she got my name tattooed on her ankle after I was born.

The Arrow with a Lotus: This one is more complicated to explain. I got this as a matching tattoo with my best friend of 11 years and counting. We met the Summer of 2008 in an Art class before high school. We have always said we are the type of friends that more than just friends and more like sisters. The dots in the middle? It’s morse code for “Sisters.” The lotus? We both enjoy yoga and the lotus flower is a huge aspect of yoga. It has so many meanings and symbols within the culture. The arrowhead? Well that part is more silly. We wanted the whole piece to look like an arrow, and a basic triangle at the end looked ridiculous to us. Our artist suggested an arrowhead and it looked a lot better.

Will I get more tattoos? Of course! When? When I have the money for it! Tattoos can be expensive, but honestly? They are worth it. You don’t want to spend too much, but the quality is what you are going for so if you find an artist who does exactly what you want then maybe the price will be worth it to you. That decision is all yours.