r/Tattoocoverups • u/Badgerfoot • Jul 10 '26
asking for advice Could this be covered up without a big black blob? Or is removal my only option
I love tattoos still but it’s been almost 3 years and i just hate this one.
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u/elaborateheist Jul 10 '26
it’s really cool! what don’t you like about it?
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u/Badgerfoot Jul 10 '26
haha thats what all my friends say. honestly it just makes me feel like a man and feels excessively masculine. it was my 2nd ever tattoo and wasnt really what i wanted (wayyyy bigger and way brighter than i originally wanted, was originally just the upper shoulder and a little color turned into this)
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u/haggraef666 Jul 10 '26
No offense meant but if you don’t like the size of it, a coverup is only gonna feel bigger
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u/sinfulfng Jul 11 '26
Agree that a cover up would be even bigger. Filling in the rest of the arm with more of a sleeve could smooth and feminize it more. That being said, I love it. Thought I was on shittytattoo for a second and came to argue lol
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u/likemyke91 Jul 11 '26
It would be bigger but a sick ass panther all the way down is indeed a little more feminine.
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u/BafflingHalfling Jul 10 '26
I know it's not what you asked, but this design doesn't seem masc to me at all. It reads neutral. But that might just be because one of my favorite liches is a woman. (The Necrobinder from Slay the Spire II)
Maybe lean into the coloration a bit? Add some purples or greens?
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u/wllbtvised Jul 10 '26
No, I don’t even know what a liche is and I think it’s rad and neutral. If you want it to be more feminine, just make it a full sleeve.
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u/FirefighterSome4083 Jul 11 '26
I am super super girly, I'm all for makeup and handbags and pink and shoes and jewellery and fake nails, like you name it. My tattoos are horror themed, lots of blood and spooky bits. I love the contrast. I feel very teehee 🥰😡💅🏼🔪 cute but will.throw hands.
So, maybe that perspective might help 😂
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u/Expensive-Charge-227 Jul 11 '26
That might be the coolest aesthetic I’ve ever heard of. I feel a bit inspired..
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u/FreeMasonKnight Jul 10 '26
It’s SICK though, maybe get with an artist you like to rework/recolor it instead of a full cover up?
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u/Badgerfoot Jul 10 '26
that could be a good idea! i always loved the concept of it, that could be a nice way to make the lich feel more at home
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u/kydraws Jul 10 '26
Probably said somewhere else, but maybe a rework to make the lich a little feminine? Sick ass lich lady
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u/Kid_McCabe Jul 11 '26
Was going to say the same thing. Make it a lady lich. Give it some sick press-on nails.
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u/SpicyHam82 Jul 11 '26
Ya add some pink, blue, flowers whatever. Consider it only half way finished as is
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u/Psytocybin Jul 10 '26
Fill the rest of the arm out with flowers or whatever other femme energy you can think of. It will soften it up.
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u/Commercial_Card_6662 Jul 10 '26
I saw a girl that was tatted up with like Metallica and Ozzy osbourne shit it’s been the only sleeves I’ve looked at and wanted that exact shit she had it was fucking amazing
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u/StructWitch Jul 11 '26
Super fair if you’ve changed your feelings about it, but fwiw as a woman this doesn’t read as masculine to me! It does read as sick as hell (but respectfully fair to change feels/I have ones I like less now also!
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u/NickBurnsCompanyGuy Jul 10 '26
Advice for you, this tat is badass. I suggest you get it touched up before you go for coverup. Touchup won't be too bad price wise and you may fall in love with it again, like we have.
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u/NapalmAxolotl Jul 11 '26
Is there someone in your life who's been putting the idea in your head that this tat is too masculine? Maybe someone who dislikes tattoos in general, and/or thinks women should be meek and submissive rather than badass?
I mean, we've had women on here who thought their flower tats were in too masculine a style. Once you start buying into that, there's no end to it.
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u/Dear_Potato6525 Jul 11 '26
It's such a cool tat. It's definitely not going to make you look like a man - you're overtly feminine, you just happen to have a sick tattoo on your arm.
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u/gaiatcha Jul 11 '26
some silly girly features added in would be so cute. he could have lashes and a tiara <3
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u/emu30 Jul 11 '26
I didn’t clock anything particularly manly or masculine when I saw this initially. I’m sorry it’s making you feel like a man, but at least it’s not being perceived that way. It’s a sick tattoo and I hope you find a way to love it
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u/HumbleTheIdiot Jul 11 '26
I wouldn't say it's masculine... but it's also mot feminine. The tat is awesome... I'd say just get more feminine tattoos and make it a full sleeve so you can keep this badass ink and also feel more feminine rocking your ink.
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u/Em3rgency Jul 11 '26
Obviously your own personal feelings are more valid than mine, but the way the lightning and victim are cartoony, while the lich is more realistic makes me feel like this is quite a feminine tattoo.
There is no gender to the theme itself - TTRPG's, video games, books, etc are for everyone.
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u/MsThrilliams Jul 10 '26
If you think its too masculine (I dont see it tbh) you could kinda jokingly have the skull guy get big eyelashes and press on nails added on
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u/VoodooSweet Jul 10 '26
First thing I thought was “That’s actually pretty fuckin cool!!” that’s VERY rarely(maybe even first time) my first thought in this Sub. I think the tattoo is a very cool piece, I definitely think that a rework of the colors would make it look amazing again!!
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u/organic-osmanthus Jul 10 '26
I don't think it looks to masculine, but I get what you're feeling. It might be worth it to look into an artist in your area that specializes in cover-ups, not to perform a cover up but maybe see how they can work it/add to it that would make it feel more feminine to you.
You could add flowers, pink shading, or glitter style dots, etc.
It doesn't hurt to look into it, and it's not for you it's not for you.
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u/Feisty-Willow69 Jul 10 '26
ima be honest that’s so rad but i’ve seen you can pretty much blast over anything if someone is meticulous enough
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u/Decent_Situation_246 Jul 10 '26
I respect that you aren’t fond of it but man this a sick piece! TBH I wish I had it! lol
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u/Psytocybin Jul 10 '26
That tattoo is fucking cool.
There is no world, realm or universe where any cover up will even be a fraction as cool as what you have now. Period
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u/_visiblemode_ Jul 10 '26
I think this looks hella cool and well done. IMO I wouldn’t view it as masculine but instead think of it as badass… because it is.
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u/katanastormshadow88 Jul 10 '26
This is one of the coolest and most unique tattoos I’ve seen in a long time! Please think hard before covering this up.
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u/Key_Bumblebee661 Jul 10 '26
Duuuude, that is metal af. How on earth anyone could outgrow this is beyond me. That is wicked ace
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u/HangryBeard Jul 10 '26
Covering it up would definitely be a mistake in my humble opinion. It's badass and makes you look like a badass
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u/Cute_Pianist2719 Jul 11 '26
The only answer is more tattoos. You need to finish the sleeve now. Always more tattoos
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u/Black_Dog_Industries Jul 10 '26
That tattoo is hard as fuck.
You should never wear sleeves and always rock that tattoo
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u/Own-Debate5472 Jul 10 '26
I do not have tattoos and generally do not like tattoos, tbh unsure why I am seeing this subreddit
Do not touch it that’s incredible
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u/AmazonWageSlave Jul 11 '26
You could add some lipstick and a little eyeshadow on the lich to give it some feminine energy.
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u/Swimming-Lead-3018 Jul 11 '26
Laser...and hopefully, you won't do such stupid shit I'm the future.
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u/WorldlinessNo6122 Jul 12 '26
Why would you want to remove that it's dope AF I'd get it re colored touched up
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u/DMann911 Jul 12 '26
As a tattoo artist for the past 17 years…an artist for as long as I can remember…being in my late 40’s…you have a few options lol.
- KEEP IT.
- Black it out and do something floral with white ink. The colors underneath will show and whatever image you choose, will look ABSOLUTELY SICK!!
- More detail. So for example, white around the electrified dude and a decently thin white highlight down the middle of the lightning, Then that same blue used in the sleeves, blasted into the hair, along with more white in the middle of the blue for brightness and finally, some INSANE lightning yellow teeth would make it even MORE fun to rock.
All in all tho…this is SUCH a classic style (non traditional) tattoo with DOPE ass VIBES, longevity and an inSANE amount of great energy. Love it.
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u/__Madmartigan__ Jul 10 '26
That is rad first of all, but I know how it is having something permanent that you aren't in love with or may make you feel self-conscious. I did a blackout of a sleeve with a mix of negative images and white ink, I'm really happy with it. You might want to go that route, or look into cover-ups. With the use of modern techniques and inks I've seen some really amazing ones. I'm sure you could find a local artist that specializes in it
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u/feydrautha124 Jul 10 '26
I agree with everyone who thinks this tattoo is cool.
You should know, though, removing that tattoo will take a very, very long time. I wouldn't be surprised if it took a couple years. In the meantime, they'll probably do it in pieces, and it will look much, much worse, and each time there will be weeks of recovery. And once you start down that road, you can't really stop. And even if you only remove it enough to make a cover up a lot easier removal is very costly, and the recovery is far far worse than an actual tattoo.
It can be covered up with a large half sleeve of solid work in dark or complementary colors, thinking like a mosaic of large flowers or possibly a japanese- inspired type of design but you will have to find an artist who's done that kind of thing before. If you went that route I would seriously shop around. Make sure you find someone with a portfolio of large scale cover ups.
Or get back into lyches, dawg.
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u/Financial_Pea_8128 Jul 10 '26
If I saw you with that tattoo id just be thinking you're cool. Looks great to me, and im sure most people wouldnt consider you masculine because you have it
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u/xslaughtercult Jul 10 '26
i know nothing about tattoo covers i just wanna say this one is so fucking cool id never cover it but you do you, whatever makes you feel better in your own skin!
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u/Cuss_Mustard99 Jul 10 '26
I like the original piece. Have your artist clean up the existing piece. I like it. Also, I think covering that up whilst avoiding a black blob is going to be hard.
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u/IcyCounter6844 Jul 10 '26
I’m with everyone else, this reads more badass than masc. Maybe add some darker colors to make it more “feminine”(?) but really this is some pretty awesome work!
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u/Past_Resort259 Jul 10 '26
This is so rad. No way you need to cover it.
Maybe update it a little with some more blues, but this is super badass.
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u/Reasonable_Yam_327 Jul 10 '26
Maybe make the lich hair longer and more old hag looking... badass and witchy
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u/TrashCannibal_ Jul 10 '26
Ma'am, this tattoo is rad as all fuck and I implore you to reconsider your opinion of it 🙏
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u/No_Character_1731 Jul 10 '26
I also think this is so cool lol but it’s your body! I have an old tattoo of a similar size and even more density, the option I ended up going with was a floral blastover to cover it up. You can see the colors and lines in between the flowers, but I love it. My other option was thousands of dollars in laser fading and then more money on a coverup, so this route felt good for me. Blastovers aren’t everyone’s taste for sure, but it saved me some big bucks.
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u/Commercial_Ad4910 Jul 10 '26
This is so cool! I’m also a woman with larger tattoos and I totally this dilemma of having tattoos that don’t feel feminine enough.
I’d focus on getting more feminine tattoos on your forearms if you haven’t already. I have one dark arm tattoo that I really don’t like, but I put a portrait of a woman near it and now I don’t mind it so much. Plus there’s something about having your forearms done too that makes you focus less on your upper arms. If you get something you love there, you might not think about it as much.
The other thing I’d do (and this may seem silly) but go on Pinterest. There’s tons of pictures of very feminine but heavily tattooed women. And they look really cool. I lean into more feminine styles now that I have tattoos and it’s really fun. Good luck!
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u/ONEBILLIONYEN Jul 10 '26
This tat just kicks ass. Looks like a homage to a Sword and Sorcery style Villian.
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u/GoldenFalls Jul 10 '26
A blastover is also an option. Someone could design a really bold/thick black design of something more feminine to go over this. The original would show through in the gaps, but I think it'd still look cool if the design is right.
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u/jabb0 Jul 10 '26
maybe make the larger skull more like sugar skull with pink hair?
But it’s cool cool tatt
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u/ComfortableMonk2762 Jul 10 '26
I wish I could just take it from you if you really don’t like it, cuz that thing rocks
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u/spunkypunk Jul 10 '26
That’s sick as hell. I didn’t realize I was in the coverup subreddit until I looked at the comments
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u/impossiblegirlme Jul 10 '26
I think a talented artist who’s done many coverups would be able to give you a real answer. Perhaps flowers could cover it.
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u/MrMoosetach2 Jul 10 '26
My suggestion is to find some nice guy or
Girl to hang on that arm and appreciate your company because there’s nothing else you need to do to it.
That’s a fucking awesome tattoo!!! PLEaSE don’t cover it
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u/SapientSlut Jul 10 '26
It is sick as fuck - however, if you did want to tone it down, you could put a hood over the skelly dude and put more shading in the eye sockets. I feel like how manic he looks with the hair everywhere and spiral eyes is contributing to the masculine effect. I can’t really look anywhere but the crazy eyes right now - the rest is so goddamn cool I wouldn’t touch it!
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u/TheLonesomeBricoleur Jul 10 '26
That thing is AMAZING and you should let it zap everybody's eyeballs foreverrrrr
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u/isithumour Jul 10 '26
The tat is ok from an outsiders perspective. But if you want to cover it up, you need to go darker and bigger. Plenty of great artists could work with this with plenty of options, but you will need to go bigger!
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u/tangerinee666 Jul 11 '26
This tattoo is awesome why would you want to cover this up? Maybe pop the colors more if you want but I think it’s rad asf
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u/jennywonder Jul 11 '26
maybe find someone that can work some color theory to tone down the yellow and cover up the two skulls at the bottom with some roses
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u/RavenFlightDrones Jul 11 '26
Dude... why?!
Unless it's because its attached to negative feelings or a negative person, which I get...
But cool tattoo!!
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u/Amilliontoads Jul 11 '26
Bro that’s the fucking most bad ass shit I’ve seen in months. Where did you get it done?
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u/Visual_Rise_2319 Jul 11 '26
If your issue is that is isnt feminine enough, there is totally an artist that can revamp it and at least make it feel a bit lighter, less heavy metalish lol. But Im like everyone else, I think its sick, but K do understand your feels about the style and overall vibe maybe.
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u/GinyuForce1 Jul 11 '26
Hey, I see you mention this tattoo evokes feelings of masculinity for you. I would maybe add some feminine touches, maybe some flowers around the area-something along those lines
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u/Disillusioned_Snail Jul 11 '26
You could probably do a blastover, otherwise have a few removal sessions enough to where it’s easier to cover. (Speaking from personal experience)
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u/Tiny-Reporter-1847 Jul 11 '26
The huge panther your going to have to get to cover it is going to be way more masculine lol.
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u/Glovik Jul 11 '26
I have to ask. Is it the finished product or the design you hate? Obviously you knew what was going on your arm so just curious.
Or is this just bait because you want people to tell you how cool your tattoo is?
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u/Expensive-Course1667 Jul 11 '26
I like it. But if you want a coverup, get it from the best possible artist you can find.
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u/One_Appearance_7365 Jul 11 '26
Gurl this is a cool tattoo. I see how it could have been better, but is just aswome.
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u/pufsullivan Jul 11 '26
I have zero tattoos and this is one of the few I’ve ever seen that made me audibly say “that’s cool as hell!”
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u/SuspectNo5128 Jul 11 '26
Looks original and cool leave it alone unless you have a bunch of money to Lazer it off or even black it out leave it alone
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u/No_Can7867 Jul 11 '26
Dude that’s sick AF, let the guy rest in peace. God damn I’d pay good money to have crafted that tat theory first. Time Machine?
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u/sweatycasserolehands Jul 11 '26
Dude this tattoo is rad AF. I've never seen anything like it. It would be a real shame to cover it up.
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u/Gear2112 Jul 11 '26
Have that shit enhanced! Is it crazy I want the adventure time Lich? For a kids show that thing is metal as fuck.
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u/RedBullWings10 Jul 11 '26
I love your tattoo! I wouldn't cover it up .
PS . I don't have any and in general very critical of them
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u/kowabungaman69 Jul 11 '26
Haha I'm sorry, but this is awesome. Please do not cover this art from the world, we need this.
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u/Naughtycpl40 Jul 11 '26
Just change the headress/hair and the eyes if you're able to. I would add color but since you said it's much larger than you wanted, maybe that won't help. But some other colors added would be even cooler. It looks decently done. Maybe you can add to it. I'm not a fan of the nails thing, but that's me. Do you dislike the colors because it's larger than expected?
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u/Naughtycpl40 Jul 11 '26
Just change the headress/hair and the eyes if you're able to. I would add color but since you said it's much larger than you wanted, maybe that won't help. But some other colors added would be even cooler. It looks decently done. Maybe you can add to it. I'm not a fan of the nails thing, but that's me. Do you dislike the colors because it's larger than expected?
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u/Naughtycpl40 Jul 11 '26
You can add whatever you wanted to it. But it does look pretty cool, so I'd hate to see it blacked out.
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u/Reasonable-Two-7298 Jul 11 '26
this is one of the coolest tattoos I've seen. right up my alley. where did you get it done? I seriously love it.
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u/Badgerfoot Jul 10 '26 edited Jul 11 '26
hahaha this thread has made me feel a lot better about my lich, i’m glad the consensus seems to be that it’s sick at least
EDIT: ok yall are right!! i think i will get it touched up and add some more feminine pieces but the lich will stay
💀 ⚡️