Any person that follows my tattoo progress across various online platforms will by now have seen no end of predictions about the contents of this post. Across Instagram, Reddit, Discord, and this very blog, loudly and proudly did I proclaim that surely my next appointment would be the start of color! “The outline is done!” “There’s naught to shade but a single whisker!” Oh how I laughed and cajolled and clicked my heels at the wisdom of my assessment! I know full well that Horizakura does not read this blog. Yet for how consistently he manages to subvert my expectation, you would be forgiven for assuming that he did in fact keep a very close eye on every word I type. Imagine the scene: a short tattooed man-child brightly skips up the steps of a Queens building with visions of bright tebori colors swirling in his head, only to be dashed to pieces on the rocky shores of hope when, upon entering a studio, he sees laid out before him a tattoo machine for line work.

I am covered from my wrist to my ankles, what on earth is left to line?!

It turns out Horizakura had plans that I was not aware of. I was not aware of the plans because I didn’t ask. Why didn’t I ask? Perhaps I didn’t want to be a nuisance. Perhaps I’m just not very bright. I never asked. I had always assumed that the feathers on the dragon on my back would be solid blocks of color or color gradient. Instead, Horizakura added a “rachis” or shaft to each of the feathers. Looking at it now, I’m extremely happy with the results. Yet again, my blind, unwavering trust in my tattooer has paid off. Additionally, at least some of the feathers are going to be black, which I did not know. Turns out there was more than just one whisker left after all.

My next appointment is this weekend. I will not be making any predicitons. For now, I’m posting cellphone pics that were taken in a Florida hotel. I have been traveling quite a bit for work the past couple weeks and I haven’t had access to my usual camera. I’m hoping to add more photos to this post later. As an added bonus, I am providing a concept image of what the color might look like when we finally do begin.

Go easy on us, we are amateurs.