Everyone has got their dick tattooed these days...
Since the explosion of tattoos in recent years, the only ones I really like now are those that are very crudely done. Many modern tattoos look good up close, but only when someone is standing very still and doesn't mind my intense gaze to make out whatever is going on in the intricate mass of ink.
To my eye, the detail and finesse of most modern tattoos just don't look good unless you're standing very close next to someone who agrees to let you have a long look while they stand still. Very awkward for most cases... even among friends when it's in certain spots. Otherwise, it's just a blob most times when viewed from more than 3 feet away. The crude old time tattoos look way more interesting to me. And they usually have an interesting story.
I was standing in line at a butcher in a favela in Brazil (great meat at a fraction of the cost!) and a dude walked in behind me. I had to fight to not bolt for the door or even look at him very long. He was scary with a capital "S". He had a couple of tattoos on his face, neck and arms that looked as if someone from an overcrowded prison was poking him in the jugular with a blunt knife to put the ink in.
Not those stupid neck tattoos with fancy lettering and junk you see on the wanna be gangsters these days. The stupid prison tattoo is much more intimidating. A snake, a knife, and a bleeding heart. It sends shivers down my spine today.
He was mid to late fifties and he definitely had a look about him that screamed of a contract killer. Not a particularly sophisticated one, but the kind who would get the job done. It looked like an advertisement on his face for the time when you may need that kind of work done.
Everyone else was obviously on pins and needles with him in the store. Place went silent (very unusual in Brazil, where everything is a party), and he was given a wide berth to do whatever he wanted. One of the strangest things I've ever seen in that country, which is saying a hell of a lot. He was barely 5 feet tall, but I can guarantee there are few people in the world who would mess around with a guy like that.
He looked like he'd mess you up real bad with a soda can if you turned your back for a second.
The tattoos definitely had a part to play. Also how he carried himself and the cold, dead look in his eyes, but the tattoos really tied it all together. Guess you had to be there.
I won't ever forget that face. He sometimes haunts my dreams.
Now that is a tattoo. Standing in line about two feet away: Not so cool. Afterward... wow. Well done, sir. You scared the shit out of me. And now I know who to call if someone becomes a problem. Snake, knife, and bleeding heart guy. He'll set it right.
Mercy.