# Tattoo help PLEASE!



## GenieMagic

hi everyone im getting a tattoo and i am having a tough time picking myself up out of hard times. can anyone think of something without using words for a tattoo like a symbol or something?


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## Thumbs18

Well I'm getting a yellow rose on my lower back bc I was born in texas. One of my friends has the chinese symbol for honor on his shoulder blade and another friend has 2 tat's. a turtle on her shoulder blade in memory of her nephew and a clover on her hip. pick something that is significant to u but not like an inside joke from high school. try something with a life long meaning. . .like me and my rose.


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## t_catt11

I love skin art - my wife has three large tattoos.  That being said, be careful of what you get.  Will that Tasmanian Devil on your calf still be cool to you in ten years?  When you're forty, will you still show off the barbed wire on your bicep?

If you are going to get ink, make it personal, and make it art.  Picking some piece of flash off of the wall might seem like a good idea now, but is quite likely to cause regret later (and possibly for a lifetime).


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## GenieMagic

all great tips but any ideas for getting through hard times?


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## ginnygirl102

since you like Texas maybe you should get a longhorn tatoo my dad has a barbed wire around his arm and it is still cool!!


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## Hollywoodhaha

kinda disney is  but i loved my 4th grade teachers tattoo
she had the simba painting that rafiki drew on the tree when he was a cub.

It was on her ankle and I LOVED IT.

I always wanted it but I am afraid of needles

so they should get it done on me when I am drunk or something..
in the future when that is legal for me to be


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## PrincessKsMom

On Miami Ink a few people have gotten a phoenix (rising from the ashes, etc.)  I'm sure if you google it, it will give you the complete story.  Good luck in choosing.


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## jdlutz

how about some comedy....

here's a cute video that makes me laugh everytime as it shows the most innocent and human reactions

enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM


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## DollfieDreams

just be careful what you choose.
dont choose something just because it looks cool and has no meaning.
i was also going to suggest the phoenix, or perhaps maybe a dragon.


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## Babyjustrun

I don't have any suggestions really, because I don't know you personally, so I wouldn't know what would match your personality.

But I love tattoos. I think they're beautiful when done tastefully.
I'm thinking of getting a fish on somewhere on my hand, not sure why though.


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## shellybellypolo

Maybe like the chinese symbol for hope or something? And maybe have some decoration around it?
Some ideas:


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## Talons

I'm in the same boat as you - I've been through some really hard times lately and I also want to get a tattoo as a tribute to lost family members.

Here is one option I considered: 



This symbol means inner strength in Chinese, and is more like a reminder tattoo for when you do feel down. If you get that feeling, just look at the tattoo and it will remind yourself to dig down deep inside yourself and find the inner strength to get you through harsh times.

Another tattoo I'm considering is this:



On the scroll I would get the words 'Love Always', and underneath I was going to put the dates of when I lost my loved ones. Just a tribute tattoo to honor their memory, and also to keep them forever in my memory. Tattoo's last forever, and over time you un-intentionally begin to forget things, so this kind of tattoo keeps their memory and spirit alive in yourself for the rest of your life.

Hope this helps


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## acesupercoolme

I have a butterfly, "Bella" and a heart...
I don't see why a tattoo would help you with hard times... that just doesn't make sense to me.
But you have to think of what you'd think about the tattoo in 30 years... because like t_catt11 said, you might decide you don't like it one day...
But also, a lot of tattoos look really bad... like I think huge ones covering your whole arm or your entire back are just ugly... and the barbed wire is ugly too...
And you shouldn't get something because it's cool.
Get something you know you will always like, and something that has meaning.


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## Axel

I'm one of those people who has an odd obsession with tats and piercings. 

Everyone here is correct in saying that you should choose something that means something to you. For example:

My best friend and I have this one drawing that absolutely represents us as friends. It's a gun with a muzzle flash and the words "It Goes" on top and "BANG!" below. It's a representation of how we're the most obvious, insane, noisy, and (when mixed together in public) dangerous pair of people on the planet. I'm getting done on my left side (where an underarm holster would go if I wore one) once I turn 18. She's drawing it up for me and my brother-in-law is going to do the actual work.

Another one that I plan on getting is the phrase "Like Faint Electricity" in tribute to the book that defines my life- Brokeback Mountain. It's also my definition of love.

You don't have to use words, I just like them.

An alternative to the phoenix would be a sun because it may disappear for the nighttime to come around, but it always comes back again.


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## K-Shong99

In a few years I plan on getting nautical stars on my hip bones and vampire wings on my back.
But that's just me.

If you want something that might help you get through hard times...
My friend has a BEAUTIFUL cross.
But if you aren't into religion, I know a girl who has a half moon.
She said that it reminds her that just like the moon, everything changes, but someday everything comes back together again, like a waxing and waining moon turing full again.
You'd just have to see it and understand her story.
It's georgous.


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## GenieMagic

thank you everyone for your help the chinese symbols was a good idea but i realized i cant go to a forum for a tattoo but thank you anyway


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## acesupercoolme

I really don't think you should get a chinese symbol.
Everyone has them, and it's just not unique anymore... and they aren't that amazing or beautiful either.
And a lot of people get them done, but they find out after that it's not what they wanted, they could want "love" but instead they get "slut", would you really want "slut" tattoed on your lower back for the rest of your life?


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## Pirate Me

I've heard many stories of people getting Chinese symbols as tattoos, and the symbols are wrong/poorly translated. 

Found on Google:


> For example, a lady in tears showed me her tattoo which said "free" in Chinese. She just learned that this particular "free" means "free of charge" and has nothing to do with "freedom." There is no reason why a woman should wear the sign "free of charge" on her skin and it is quite embarrassing.


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## GenieMagic

i dont think ill be getting the word slut anytime soon haha


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## PowerMonkey

lol, ok, im getting a tattoo soon too and i want to say that i dont think you should base your decision on your tattoo on other peoples opinions... only you know yourself, and your tattoo should reflect who you are.... personally, im getting a custom tattoo.. one i designed amd drew myself, and is original and unique to me... you could always pick parts of specific designs, and talk to your tatooist and ask them to design you something special... something that expresses you... dont get a generic thing "just because it looks cool" .. it should have some meaning


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