Body art seems to be one of those things that you love it or hate it. I love beautiful art no matter what the media is.

Do you have a tattoo that you would like to show off? Let's see it. (Keep it clean. Make sure you are not showing more than the tattoo!)

Is there a story behind it?
Why did you choose that?
Do you plan to expand it into a full mural or sleeve?

I'll start off with:

The story of my dragon tattoo.

In 1975, just before leaving to join the Army, my younger 16-year-old brother tattooed my initials on my shoulder with a sewing needle and india ink. It wasn't very good, but it was a gift from my brother.

Many years later, I was thinking of getting a coverup but wasn't sure what to get. When I got promoted and was then given command of my own tank, my call sign was "Moon Dragon". I wanted something different than every other tattoo or picture of a dragon, so I spent over a year finding the right one. I had a friend of a friend who had a tattoo shop in his basement and I went to get a dragon tattoo.

He was to do the tattoo in three sessions. The first was just an outline, then I went back a few months later for the shading. The plan was to go back for the final session to have it colored, but I never went back. I had moved more than a few times and lost touch with the artist.

While stationed in California, after graduating from Tank Master Gunner School, my call sign was changed from Moon Dragon to Master Blaster. Due to my summertime activity of spending entire weekends shark fishing at Avila Beach, some of my friends instead called me "Master Baiter". 

The call sign Master Blaster, or just "Blaster", stuck for the remainder of my service in the Army. For many years, my current Best Friend and mining buddy called me "MG" (for Master Gunner). Since I legally changed my name in 2022, now she just calls me "Lori".

But I still have the unfinished dragon tattoo.



After transitioning for five years, I have often thought about getting the tattoo colored. One of the things that I noticed about the tattoo that I never paid attention to before is how the tail is wrapped around the bottom of the wings.

Analogy? This dragon has no feet, so it needs to fly.
But it can't fly and be itself because a certain awkward "appendage" is preventing it. 

https://scontent.fman2-2.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/462077786_2349810558703454_5776360891235069990_n.jpg?stp=dst-jpg_p526x296_tt6&_nc_cat=104&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=127cfc&_nc_ohc=gZ678AdQuCAQ7kNvgEoerh5&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent.fman2-2.fna&_nc_gid=AKzoSYsC6MjuBNBNfo2ziJu&oh=00_AYDWpzzYMCyHQIIG8DiTPOWpksde6TTSFsyd8ibCLMJJjQ&oe=67A1DA7D

My 2 tatts. Got the butterfly at 59, I was a late starter with tattoos despite being around bikes metal & punk rock most of my life. I wanted something to show that i had transitioned but nort too obvious.
The rose came a few months after my 60th birthday I'm a Lancastrian  & it's our county's symbol, also I'm a socialist, been a union member from 16. It's also a symbol of a favourite band, Hanoi Rocks. The day before I'd just had a spill when I hit a patch of black ice on my Sportster Luckily I was wearing armoured protective clothes & got away unscathed with minor damage to my bike so I did it as a memory of a lucky escape
Don't think I'll do a full sleeve but maybe 1/4 sleeves. Been planning a Celtic cross on y other shoulder as a memorial to my parents (Dad was son of an Irishman & English mother, Mum was a Scot) but Phil my tattooist is now retired & I've never seen any as good as his!

Beautiful!

I love those colors too.