Ever since I got my first tattoo a couple of years ago, I’ve sort of gotten a new one every year since. Once I started, it was hard to stop, and I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon. I like to get tattoos with a significant meaning to me, and there are a few more that I want to get.
To start with the tattoos I already have, I got my first tattoo on my wrist, and it’s my angel number, the number three. I got it for my best friend, whom I met in high school, and my uncle, who passed away when I was younger; both of their birthdays are Jul. 3. The next tattoo I got on the opposite wrist was an airplane when I went to Vegas for the first time. I got it from Koolsville Tattoo. It was one of their “$10 tats,” which may sound sketchy, but it was honestly such a fun experience, and the place was completely clean with awesome reviews. They took good care of my family and me — we loved it. In fact, we had such a good time that we went again the next year, but because the line was so long, we ended up going to a place across the street that also had “$10 tats,” but only a limited amount you could choose from. I got my third tattoo, which is a small wave on my ankle. The last tattoo I have is a poppy flower with my grandfather’s birth and death years on the stem. We called my grandfather “Poppy” and it’s definitely my favorite tattoo that I have so far.
Now onto the tattoos I would like to get in the future, because I’m not done yet. I have them organized into two different categories.
Bookish tats
This is the only bookish quote that I’ve ever wanted to get tattooed on my body, but it’s a quote from one of my favorite book series, the Devils Night series by Penelope Douglas. The French quote “L’appel du vide” which translates to “the call of the void.” In order to fully understand the deeper meaning of the quote, you’d have to have a deep understanding of the characters and the overall plot of the entire story as a collective series, not just one individual book of the series. The literal meaning is along the lines of having the desire to do something reckless without much self-preservation, but I love this quote because it reminds me to live my life to the fullest and to throw caution to the wind sometimes. As a person who has an extreme type-A personality, the reminder is something I would like to have because I would hate for my own life to pass me by.
The next bookish tattoo I would like to get comes from another one of my top favorite book series, the Addicted series by Krista and Becca Ritchie. I would love to get a tattoo of a bundle with a rose, lily, and daisy to represent the sisters’ names. While reading this series, I found myself relating deeply to each sister on a personal level that has always stuck with me, and because of that, this series is in my top three favorites. Often, I find myself tearing up just thinking about these characters because that’s just how much they mean to me. I’ve invested so much of my time reading this 26-and-counting book universe (which includes the Addicted series, the Bad Reputation duet, along with the Like Us and Cobalt Empire series, which follow the children), so I feel like making it a permanent part of me is only appropriate.
The last bookish tattoos I want to get are one of the Night Court, from the pretty famous ACOTAR series by Sarah J. Maas, and the two dragons representing Tairn and Adarna from The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros. ACOTAR was the first fantasy series I read and truly loved, and it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. The Night Court is absolutely beautiful and one of my favorite fictional places, so I would love to have a reminder of it. The Empyrean series, however, is my favorite fantasy series. I think about these characters and the plots almost daily, and I have listened to the dramatized audio of all the books an unhealthy amount of times. I’m absolutely obsessed with the characters and dragons, and I severely wish that they were real. But, because neither of these series are finished, I’m going to hold off on getting the tattoos. It’s a rule of thumb with fantasy series: never get a tattoo of it until the series is complete. Too many things could go wrong, and you might end up with permanent regret.
Meaningful symbols
I would love to get a tattoo of my author symbol, which can be found here on some of my Instagram posts. Being an author is a huge part of my life and is my biggest passion. It’s important to me to recognize that for myself, and that I have accomplished so many things while in this new and exciting profession. I want to celebrate myself, and what better way to do that than with a tattoo?
I am a lifelong reader. I’ve been reading non-stop ever since I learned how to. I’ve traveled to hundreds of different places and worlds because of books that other amazing authors write. Reading has gotten me through tough times. Honestly, it’s such an instrumental part of me and keeping my mental health stable. I wouldn’t be able to function correctly without reading a little something every day. Getting a book tattooed is an ode to how much books have done for me. They’ve given me passion, purpose, and life. I’m forever in debt to books and all that they symbolize in my life.
Marvel is a huge part of my personality. I am a hardcore Avengers girly. Not the new Avengers (I do like them, though), but the old Avengers. The core six; Black Widow, Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Thor, with special mentions to Spider-Man, Ant-Man, the Winter Soldier, Falcon, Wanda, Vision, War Machine, Black Panther, Loki, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. This time was prime Marvel, and I often find myself reminiscing by rewatching the movies whenever I’m in the mood for a binge session. I’ve always wanted to get the Avengers symbol tattooed, because it’s a franchise fan-base I will always be a part of (no matter how bad the movies get in the future, I’ll bite my tongue and watch every single one of them).
I have a child (dog) named Pepper. She’s a small, black and grey, Pomeranian poodle (pomapoo), and she is my pride and joy. I’ve had her since she was two months old, and she’s two years and three months now, so we’ve been through a lot together, but I couldn’t even imagine my life without her. I love her so, so much, and my fur-baby means the absolute world to me. She is me, but in dog form. You probably wouldn’t believe it, but we even had to get the very same knee surgery, that’s how much we’re connected. In honor of her, I want to get a paw print tattooed next to a pepper shaker. Fun fact, I actually didn’t name her Pepper because of her coat color, I named her Pepper May, after the Marvel characters Pepper Potts (from Iron Man) and Aunt May (from Spider-Man). They’re my favorite female Marvel characters, and I was also named after the actress who plays Aunt May, Marisa Tomei, so my dog’s name has a triple meaning.
You’ve probably noticed that I didn’t add “lastly” to the previous tattoo mentioned, because I doubt that would be the last one. I’m sure as time goes on and I experience more of life, the list will grow. For right now, these are the tattoos I want to get. I adore body art and being able to beautifully express my loves and passions on my skin. I love each tattoo I’ve ever gotten, and can’t wait to love the ones I get in the future just as much.