Categories
Tattoos

Tattoo Artist’s Opinion

After the commotion inside, Gideon and Lorenzo took to the balcony to debrief. Overlooking the growing city of New Melbourne, the view wasn’t much compared to those experienced back in the surface days. For a post-Collapse view, though, it wasn’t bad. It felt more like looking out over a town at night than an entire city, but that would probably change in the next few years, as more people found their way down to the underground.

“So, the Zircon clan has decided to come after me,” Gideon said. “Not surprising, given I’ve been open about my intentions with the new Mornington Peninsula bubble. What do you think, my faithful fan of local realism tattoo artists?”

“Makes sense,” Lorenzo replied, glad the burning sensation from his tattoos was starting to settle down. “Without you, the peninsula project falls apart, giving them more influence to make New Adelaide a reality.”

Gideon scoffed. “New Adelaide. What a sick joke. It’s completely ignorant of how the world works. It’s no wonder the elites are so opposed to the Zircon Clan’s operations – with them planning to make New Adelaide a socialist society, why would any tycoon want that to happen?”

In theory, Lorenzo agreed with the Zircon Clan’s ambitions. A socialist society, free of rich elites, would have appealed to him years ago, when he was at that tattoo shop near Brisbane. He’d had no chance of joining the elite society. An equal utopia where people didn’t have to pay to express themselves with tattoos sounded perfect to him.

But he knew Gideon’s plans, and he knew that the Zircon Clan’s goals would never work out in reality. No, the elite would draw people back to their capitalist society with ease.

If they wanted a perfect society, they would have to get rid of the elites altogether. There was no other way.

“This humble tattoo artist thinks we are on the right path,” Lorenzo said. “I trust your plans, just as you trust me with your life. We will not fall for the old ways again.”

Categories
Tattoos

The Tattoo Lover

I really love looking at tattoos. I wouldn’t get any for myself, simply because I can’t commit to anything like that, and the thought alone makes me shiver. I don’t have a very high pain tolerance. I would probably cry while sitting in the tattoo chair. Not fun for anybody.

However, I am more than happy visiting the tattoo shop while my friends get tattoos, and flipping through the portfolios of the artist to see what they’ve done in the past and what they hope to do in the future, in terms of design work. One of my friends was actually lucky enough to get inked by the best tattooist Brisbane has to offer, which meant that I got to come along for “support” and just sit there, throwing out a few mildly encouraging phrases and turning the pages of the portfolio.

I think if I could improve my drawing skills a little bit, I would become a tattoo artist myself. But then it would be a little bit weird because I would be one of the only tattoo artists in the world without any tattoos myself. Would people trust a tattooist with no tattoos of their own? I’m not sure if I would, and I’m the one who’s thinking about it.

Next up on my friends’ appointment list is a consultation with a traditional tattooist. My friend actually wants me there to offer my expertise, which is sort of a crazy idea, but I also understand where she’s coming from. I’ve seen a lot of different styles on a lot of different people, and I’ll know just from a quick glance whether the ideas they are talking about in their session are going to suit my friend. Not from a design perspective, but from a personality perspective. I know my friend better than almost anyone, so I alone can tell whether it is going to suit her both now and in the future when there might be a change in her personality.