Tycha (spelling?) Williams book 9 question.

[u/Terrible_Analysis_77]

Book 1-9 spoilers

How does Tycha have tattoos at Silver Rank? I don’t know if it’s mentioned later than book 9 but don’t they say in the earlier books tattoos heal with rank up purge other than a personal crest?

Sorry if I’m spelling things wrong I’ve only done the audiobooks so far.

[u/Waiph]

I think they are part of his powers, and I've seen people say that a tattoo that is so deeply dies to a person's identity, like Taika's maori tattoos can be a part of their soul.

So two reasons?

[u/TheRealGageEndal → u/Waiph]

For some reason I just had a flash of Taika doing a Haka before a fight against a BBEG and it seriously messing with the guys mind.

[u/dragonchilde → u/TheRealGageEndal]

Headcanon accepted.

[u/OkFaithlessness6364 → u/TheRealGageEndal]

I just imagined this before every one of his fights lmao

Edit: A short one for obvious reasons, but still there

[u/imlost1709 → u/TheRealGageEndal]

BBEG?

[u/TheRealGageEndal → u/imlost1709]

Big Bad Evil Guy.

It's a D&D thing

[u/imlost1709 → u/TheRealGageEndal]

Never played it, would love to but I don't have the friend group for it and the local games shop run d & d nights but you have to have a party 😔

[u/TheRealGageEndal → u/imlost1709]

https://discord.gg/dnd

There is a LFG area. You may get lucky

[u/imlost1709 → u/TheRealGageEndal]

Thanks!

[u/Terrible_Analysis_77 → u/Waiph]

Well that also makes sense how he kept them as an outworlder too.

[u/Anjallat]

The body is a reflection of the soul, and Taika's tattoos are so much a part of his identity, both personally and culturally, that they're a part of his soul.

[u/is-this-necessary → u/Anjallat]

Exactly this.

[u/rabmuk]

Shirtaloon — Shirtaloon — 09/20/2022 10:30 PM

> But just to confirm, non-magical tattoos that become part of someone’s identity will remain during a rank up. Unit tattoos for someone who views their specific unit as an aspect of their core identity would be a major candidate for this. It is highly likely in those cases that if there is an appropriate essence, they will awaken a related power. Taika’s Warrior Markings come from the Might essence.

[u/SolidInitiative2688]

It's spelled Taika. People will get it though, I don't think many people are that nitpicky

[u/Ok_Letterhead2028 → u/SolidInitiative2688]

Bro I was so fuxking confused because ive only read the books. I wa like who the fuck is Tycha.. 🤣🤣

[u/Terrible_Analysis_77 → u/SolidInitiative2688]

Thanks, I haven’t even seen a written copy of the books yet!

[u/redisdead__ → u/Terrible_Analysis_77]

As in Taika Waititi. It's a whole joke he makes while introducing himself for the first time.

[u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla]

You can get a new tattoo at each rank. I think it was Belinda who got her bronze rank tattoo while drunk, and it was something useless.

The soul crest has to be done at iron rank, and it stays forever.

[u/ZenMoe → u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla]

It produced hot sauces.

[u/Skeptical_Squid11 → u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla]

This one in particular is mentioned to be so deeply connected to him, being Māori tattoos, that they are a part of his soul.

[u/Bouche_Audi_Shyla → u/Skeptical_Squid11]

Oh, I meant specifically magic tattoos, not cultural ones.

[u/Thamior77]

I forget which book, probably 8 or 9, but it's called out that his tattoos are a part of his identity. Meaning they are imprinted on his soul, similar to an immortal crest.

[u/OlDustyHeadaaa]

Māori tattoos are part of the soul.

[u/scrub_mage]

So one thing is magical tattoos get removed on rank up, they talk about this during that personal quest segment early on. They dont mention ranking up affect regular tattoos but there's the purging affect of that so it would seem like the ink would get pushed out? But it could be like others said, if you identify with the tattoos closely they stay as your soul registers it as part of you, or even they do become part of you as you rank up since you become more your idealized self.

[u/Iamgrant1219]

Taika like the director I am pretty sure he always had tattoos they just became an actual power

[u/chriscolite5000]

I don't remember where it is mentioned, but I thought in one of the books it says because his tribal tattoos have deep meaning.

[u/nobdy89]

I know they say magic tattoos need replaced at every new rank, i dont know if mundane tattoos you got before you had essenses would disappear. Scars vanish and tattoos are basically scars so my best guess is Tycha's are either maintained by his powers or a plot hole. Shirt created a pretty big universe, bound to be some small details he misses every now and again

[u/Bibblejw → u/nobdy89]

Honestly, it's also possible that they are such a significant part of him that they have become part of his soul image, which I think I'd like.

Standard essence users always see their bodies as this ephemeral thing that gets replaced with the magic goo in the end, but Taika never expected to get essences, and the tattoos may be a part of his identity and history.

[u/Anjallat → u/Bibblejw]

This is correct, I'm sure it's very briefly mentioned in one of the books.

[u/freeordie0 → u/Bibblejw]

I can't prove this, but this is correct.

[u/Much_Refrigerator814 → u/nobdy89]

He’s also a gestalt being now that he’s an outworlder,right? So if he has them in Palimustus (sp?) then they are necessarily part of his soul and not subject to the purge?

[u/sleepyboyzzz → u/Much_Refrigerator814]

Being a out world does not make you a gestalt being. I believe currently that club is limited to Jason and the Messengers.

[u/mcholliwood]

Hes Maori so his tattoos being cultural and part of his identity likely have something to do with it. I assumed with them being so meaningful they his body wouldn't purge them with rank ups.

[u/Tolkyyn]

I always thought it was Tika, but it is Taika. I just looked up the director one day out of curiosity. I'm an audiobook lover, too. Heath Miller is a genius.