15+ Tattoo Stories That Are More Captivating Than a Movie Script

People get tattoos for different reasons: some people see them as decorations, others want to cover their scars, and others are seeking some deeper meaning or connection by getting them. In this article, we put together stories from internet users whose ink is something more than just a pretty picture.

• I have 3 tiny dots: one on the front of my chest and one on each side of my ribs. I didn’t want them, but they were put there to line up the radiotherapy equipment to accurately zap my cancer. Yes, they remind me that I am a warrior. © Sheelagh-Stephenson / Quora
• I am a tattoo artist. Once a girl walked in and asked me to do a tattoo in the shape of a pie under her collarbone. “Why would you want to have a pie?” I wondered. Her reply was weird and brilliant at the same time, “This is what I call my boyfriend, but if we break up, I’ll still have the tattoo. And I love pies, so it’s a win-win choice.”
• I have a meaningful Pikachu tattoo. It is actually 2 Pikachus, one bigger and one smaller. I grew up with a single mom who didn’t have the greatest job in the world. Despite the struggle, she always did everything she could to make me happy, including taking me to see the first Pokémon movie every night for the first week it was open at our local theater. © Lunar_IX / Reddit

“This tattoo honors my stillborn sister, miscarried child, and me and my little sisters.”

• In school, I had a classmate who was the nerdiest girl I knew. She never skipped a single class, knew all answers to the teachers’ questions, was a straight-A student, and was loved by teachers. After high school, she enrolled in some prestigious university, and I’ve heard nothing of her since then.
  Recently, I visited a tattoo festival because I was looking for an artist (I’d done my own sketch). So, I was walking around and looking at the work from different artists, when suddenly I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw a girl approaching me. She was all covered in tattoos, and had colored lenses, dreadlocks, and piercings in every possible place.
  She turned out to be that classmate, and I’d never have recognized her. So, we talked, recalled our school time, and agreed that she’d do my tattoo. It’s amazing how people can change over time!
• My tattoo has 2 meanings. It’s a dragonfly seen from below as it soars into the air. Its first meaning is freedom from my old life of being humiliated. The second meaning is joy in my new life. I drew it myself, and an amazing tattoo artist translated it onto my skin. © Tammy-Snyder / Quora
• I have a mom heart tattoo on my shoulder. I got it on a college break.
  My mom, who is covered in tattoos, was like, “I am going to the tattoo parlor, wanna come?” And I was like, “I don’t have any money.” And she was like, “I could use the company, I’ll pay for it.” So I figured if she was paying for it, it might as well be a tattoo for her. © mister_sleepy/ Reddit
• Last winter, I had a happy couple in their twenties walk in wanting tattoos. I didn’t think much of it because we take walk-ins every day. The girl goes first and got a small heart on her wrist.
  The guy goes second and gets a traditional diamond tattoo. It’s basically just a really simple cartoon version of a diamond. I ask him why he wants this, and he just says he likes the design. They both leave happy.
  A week later, I got a message from the girl thanking me for making their tattoo day so special. The guy proposed to her later that evening after being together for 5 years. He got the tattoo to commemorate their engagement while she had no idea that he was going to propose. This still warms my heart every time I think about it. © S****yandcute / Reddit

“My first tattoo. They’re the coordinates of where I first met the woman who would later become my wife.”

• My grandma has a small tattoo that she got when she was young. But she feels shy about it and always hides it. When she and my grandpa were young and in love, they were at a party and agreed to get each other’s names tattooed to commemorate their love. My grandma was easygoing and got a tattoo right that night while my grandpa just fell asleep.
  So, he’s never fulfilled his part of the agreement. Now he says that he wants to wait a bit longer because what if they break up.
• Today was a really nice day. My ex-fiancé and I got matching tattoos, but when we were in the tattoo studio, we weren’t ex-fiancés. We were friends. We were laughing, sharing stories about our 13 years (almost!) of friendship, and neither of us mentioned that we used to be a couple. © wolfnsunflowers / Twitter
• I have a Kraken calf tattoo. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean and found special peace when surfing or just rocking on a board while the tide rolled under me. I used to be terrified of whatever creatures lived under the water, but all that fear disappeared when I rode my first wave.
  Now my wife and I go on vacation with the sole intention of seeing whales or orcas or swimming with the sharks. We’ve been caught in storms and seen nothing but blue all around us, but those times are the most magical.
  This tattoo is my acknowledgment of the amazing creatures living in the ocean. It’s also a symbol of what I’m searching for when I go on these trips. A little piece of me still believes that one day, I will see the Kraken in real life. © Diego Salvatierra / Quora
• I have 6 tattoos, all of which I got after age 43. They all have personal meanings. I have my kids’ initials (one on each hip), a big one on my belly to “decorate” my childbearing marks, an owl on a branch because my mom loved owls, and 2 rounded Celtic trinities to represent the 3 stages of a woman (maiden, mother, and wise woman). © Shelley-Ollig / Quora

“I’m going through a divorce and this simple tattoo in my mom’s handwriting gives me strength. It says, ’Just keep swimming.’”

• At first glance, it may seem that I am a mathematician. This is often the assumption when I am standing in line at the grocery store, and someone asks what the pi symbol on my neck means.
  18 years ago this year, my brother and I were adopted together out of foster care. Our adoption was finalized on March 14th (PI day: 3.14). To us, adoption is very important because it gave us the opportunity to have a family. Against all odds, my brother and I were also able to be adopted together. Considering the small detail that we are “half-siblings,” it really was amazing that we were placed together in the same family. © Tina-Bauer / Quora
• My husband took me to meet his grandparents. They were really nice people, and we talked a lot, and they showed me their old photos. In one of them, there was a young man who was getting a tattoo on his chest, and a beautiful young woman was standing next to him and holding his hand.
  They were my husband’s grandparents. I asked them about this photo, and the grandfather proudly showed me the tattoo on his chest, which said, “I love Nora F endlessly.” They’ve been together for 68 years.
• Once, in childhood, I was playing with some kids in the street, and we began to brag in front of each other. One of the kids said that his father had a sport bike, and another one replied that his father had 2 bikes like this. And I, for some unknown reason, blabbed that my mother had a skull tattoo.
  I have no idea why I said it, but everyone started laughing at me. They demanded that I bring my mom, so she could show them her tattoo, and I refused, saying that she wasn’t home. I couldn’t sleep that night because I knew that if I didn’t provide evidence of my words, I’d have the reputation of a liar.
  In the morning, I went to my mom and told her everything. She thought a bit and then said that she’d always dreamed of having a tattoo. That day, she went to a tattoo salon and got a skull tattoo. She saved me!
• I got my first tattoo and wanted to show it off. I wanted something meaningful, and my first thoughts went to my kids. The tattoo is a radial soundwave of my 2 kids saying, “I love you, dad.” The tattoo artist said she had never tattooed something like that before. © Dorkmaster79 / Reddit

Are you a fan of the tattoo art? If so, you might find these articles interesting:

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