It’s morning, and I’m feeling that slight sunburn feeling on my arm as I sit here typing this blog post after getting my tattoo.

Many people want to know what it feels like to get a tattoo and what it feels like afterwards… Well I can tell you that when that long needle gets put into the pen you get anxious, wondering how much of that needle actually enters your skin. By the looks of the thing, it was entering me about 2mm at a time, in and out, really fast. Just imagine the tip of a needle just sitting on your skin and dragging it along your arm slowly and that’s probably as close as you will get to the feeling. I will say that the pain is sudden on as much as it is sudden off. As soon as the needle hits your skin and gets dragged you feel the slight pain, and as soon as it comes off your skin you are all relaxed again and forget that it was even there. Of course, there are certain spots along the arm with different pain thresholds, such as where you arm bends, opposite your elbow; it’s very fleshy there and probably the only place besides the triceps area where you might grit your teeth or look away a little!

Personally, I think the most painful part for me was actually getting home an hour later having to run the whole thing under warm soapy water. I jumped in the shower. I think it hurt more than the needle in the way that it activates the pain all over the art work, not just in the one spot the needle is entering. It reddens your arm and makes it feel like you just got a massive sunburn and that pain has still stuck with me over night. But nothing that can’t be lived with for the next few days.

Of course, let’s not forget the preparation before the tattoo. They shaved my arm completely clean; not that I had any hairs there to start with! And then they rub your whole arm in dettol and alcohol. As long as you know how to control your mind and forget pain is there, you’ll be fine. They had to rub my arm clean over 4 times to get the stencil right, so my arm was pretty bright red before even starting the ink work.

So, what exactly is my tattoo about? Well, I wanted to draw a sword on my right arm. Since in today's day and age in our society, we are not permitted to carry a sword; you’ll find yourself arrested. So, how can I carry a sword that means something to me and my past? Ink it! So, I get a sword designed, and I love a beast called a Tarn in a fantasy series I read, which resembles in our world, an Eagle. Except that they are so large that a human can ride on its back and battle it out in the skies. The handle of my sword is designed with two eagle heads facing away from each other.

Then, I wanted vines and scrolls wrapping the whole sword, so that I could show the meaning of it out to everyone. I put my name on the top, symbolising that it is my sword, and then I put my direct family names down the whole blade. My grandparents on both sides of my family, my mother, father, sister, brother. Should my sword be used (my arm or fist in reality) you will feel the wrath of my whole family. My sword is my honour, it is my life.

Are tattoo’s addictive as the rumour goes? Yes, completely! As much pain as you are going through, they are addictive. I’m already getting my left shoulder designed, which will be a shield; within it my family emblem displaying Lison. And I even have my back design in mind already, but more on that when I get my shield done to match my sword. Don’t want to spoil that post ability!

Cheers everyone!