DP. My best friend is a guy named Dave. My name is Patrick. We both got these when we were 18 years old. We had been best friends since first grade. We got the tattoos and then later realized DP holds a different meaning, which is on both of our backs. It’s a good story.

This is a picture of Tom Waits with a trumpet. My favorite song is “Tango till they’re sore.” It has a fantastic discordant trumpet sound. It is a picture of Tom hanging in a tree in silhouette that I love.

Peggy Rubio, I got this for my mom. She passed away when I was 20 years old. The cross is a Celtic cross. My mom was Catholic, so there was some meaning there.

Three Sevens and a Horseshoe. It was done by a guy apprenticing. I got it done in his bedroom when I was just a little over 18. It is very poorly done. It’s got blowouts all over the place. It’s raised it crazy. It’s an incredible story, and I helped a guy out who was just getting started in tattooing.

The little green guy on my leg is a drawing I did. I got it right after I got divorced—a gift to myself of something I like to do for me. Once I was out of that horrible relationship, I started drawing again, which I had not done in years. It was one of the first things I had loved that I had done. So I got it done on myself.

Xuix: The kanji for water. I got this tattoo in Chinese because I like Chinese culture. I like to think of myself as able to do the things water does. Water is resilient and adaptable. It takes all shapes and forms in waterfalls, rainfalls, oceans, and lakes. I like to be more resilient and adaptable.

The Hamsa is a feminine symbol of protection and energy. On the inside is the symbol for the divine feminine. It also has an evil eye. It is like I have something watching my back all the time. It is done in my eye colors. It’s like I have an extra eye back there.

Captain Marvel. She is my favorite superhero. I connected to her. When she came out in the ’60s, she was very scantily clad, wearing the classic bikini outfit. Now she has been modernized and has a full-body suit. She is taken more seriously as a female superhero, which I like about her.

Maleficent. I am a big Disney fan. I have been since I was five years old. Maleficent is my favorite character. I also play Dungeons & Dragons. The dragon is from Dungeons & Dragons. It’s done in Maleficent coloring. This represents both my love for Disney and my nerdy side.

I did not get the story about this particular tattoo. If you are the owner of this tattoo, please get in touch with me, and provide the story of this tattoo!

I wanted a new tattoo and had something I wanted to cover up. I went to an artist who designed this based on some photos I showed him. This tattoo is also based on a video game in the ’90s called StarCraft. I played StarCraft for years, and I reached an expert level. I would battle people online. I beat everyone in Asia, Europe, and the U.S. in my teenage years.

Mickey tattoo. When I was a kid, six of us all had a tattoo like this on our arms. This was done with a sewing needle wrapped in thread with Indian ink, taped to a number 2 pencil.

When I got this tattoo, I weighed 65 pounds, and my arms were tiny. I have talked about getting it covered up. I’ve not found anyone who will do it.

Jesus tattoo. This is because Jesus is watching my back. My brother dared me to get this tattoo. He said if I got it, he’d pay for it. I’ve had it for 32 years.

The bottom part of this is six years old. I went with my daughter, and she had me get it. It’s a picture of vines and a rose.

The part going up my back is newer. It’s a vine and two roses with a hummingbird on top. The hummingbird always reminds me of my granddaddy. The roses are my husband and me, and the vines are us entwined. The artist did this freehand.

Spiderman. I just got this. I hadn’t had a tattoo before. COVID was about to happen. I didn’t know if I would make it through the pandemic. I wanted to put something on my body.

Spaceman and Enouement: The meaning of Enouement is “the bittersweetness of arriving in the future seeing what happens, and not telling your past self what happens.” It was tough for me from the beginning to the middle of 2021. I’d gone through a bad relationship — she cheated on me. I lost my job. I needed to get back on my feet. I was on the brink of suicide and drinking a lot. I got my old job back at a dealership, a team leader. I then became management.

I did not realize where I would be now—making more money than before and living life to the fullest. It’s a reminder to hope for the future and do what I can to change it.

Lynx tattoo. Growing up, Legend of Zelda was the game I played with my friends. It is an excellent nostalgic memory. A buddy and I got the same tattoo.

Triforce tattoo. Every year, my wife I would go to Wildwood, generally with her brother-in-law and his girlfriend. We were there, and this tattoo seemed like a fun way to remember our trips together.

Fierce Deity tattoo. This is one of my favorite games. I asked the tattoo artist to put his twist on it and do his own thing. I am going for a Zelda-themed leg.

Ruby tattoo. This is also from Legend of Zelda. This has an S in it. My daughter’s name is Scarlett. Scarlett means red, so it connects to both my daughter and Legend of Zelda.

Stone Eagle Head with tattered US flag that reads, “God, Family, Country.” I served in the Army for eight years. When I came back from my deployment, I wanted this tattoo. I am a Christian. Family and my country mean a lot to me. The Stone Eagle Head represents all the struggles I went through in the Army.

The wooden cube is the Congreve Cube from Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is the last movie I took my aunt to see before she passed away. I like the meaning it has in the film. The insecure manager gets this box. It is not until the end of the movie that she realizes that your imagination is limitless if you believe in it. The sun is supposed to be raised to show the box is special.