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Sam's Ink.
Mar. 20th, 2017 06:13 pmThis is an updated (and retconned, tbh) list of Sam's tattoos. So if your character has seen Sam in any particular state of undress, they've probably seen these. Tattoos are something of a spiritual experience for Sam. While it may seem like a random collection of symbols and art, each piece holds deep meaning both personally and symbolically. As pragmatic as she appears to be, she's very serious about what her tattoos mean to her.
1) Angel wings - below the back of her neck, between her shoulder blades. This is the first tattoo she got, way back when she turned eighteen. She's since had it touched up, and had "Grace" added in pretty cursive beneath. It's her late mother's name, as well as her own middle name. It's a double meaning for her, the idea of her mother as her guardian angel, as well as her high-flying abilities in the ring.
2) Maple and clover leaves - one on each hip, small and simple designs. (Maple on the left, clover on the right.) Reflects her mostly Canadian and Irish heritage. This is the only ink she has which was sort of an impulse decision, but that doesn't make it mean any less to her.
3) Union Jack - left shoulder blade. In honor of the man who first trained her, a veteran wrestler from England who taught her everything that carried her through her wrestling career. He also doted on her, despite his grumpy reputation. She got this tattoo in her early 20s when he passed away suddenly in an awful car wreck. He'd had the same tattoo, but on his right forearm.
4) Mexican skull and sun - left thigh. Mexico was the next place she had any official training, after she left Canada, and she spent several months there. She remembers two things about Mexico: it was hot as hell, and the rings were so unforgiving that she'd never been so sore in all her life. So she decided to commemorate her time there with some ink. It's a big, flaming sun, the face of which is a Day of the Dead style skull.
5) Family crest pieces - left and right calves. Her father's line, the Murphy clan, can be traced back quite far, before they came to Canada. So when Sam asked for a family crest after a trip to visit distant relatives in Ireland, her father was all too happy to oblige. On her right leg, on the outside of her calf, is a tree. A partner piece, a roaring lion, is on her left leg in the same spot. She views the pieces as not only an homage to her name, but to her living family. The bravery and strength of the lion, and the solid dependability of trees, she finds in both her father and brother.
6) Japanese dragon and lily - right thigh. After Mexico and Ireland, the next place Sam visited that had any real meaning to her was Japan. It was here where she arguably saw the biggest moments of her career, and had some of the most memorable experiences. The dragon's head is held up high, claws and teeth bared, with the tail trailing down and curling underneath. Nestled in the tail is a vibrant Japanese lily. She's always fought to balance her strength and her femininity, and for her, this tattoo is a strong reflection of that.
7) Irish skull - left thigh. After getting the Japanese piece, she felt like something was missing. She went over some designs with a friend, and together they came up with something pretty special. Placed below the Mexican sun skull, a white skull rests, but instead of a proper eyes and nose is an upside-down three leaf clover, resting above a set of teeth locked in a grimace.
8) Love you forever - right wrist. Though she already had one tattoo that honored her mother, she wanted something more personal. Her father gave her some old letters passed between himself and his late wife, and she found a sample of her mother's handwriting to use. It's the words, "Love you forever" scrawled across her wrist as though Grace Murphy herself had put them there.
(I might try to find some picture examples of what I'm thinking of here, but that'll be posted separately. And, of course, if she decides to get more, I'll repost this and update it!)
1) Angel wings - below the back of her neck, between her shoulder blades. This is the first tattoo she got, way back when she turned eighteen. She's since had it touched up, and had "Grace" added in pretty cursive beneath. It's her late mother's name, as well as her own middle name. It's a double meaning for her, the idea of her mother as her guardian angel, as well as her high-flying abilities in the ring.
2) Maple and clover leaves - one on each hip, small and simple designs. (Maple on the left, clover on the right.) Reflects her mostly Canadian and Irish heritage. This is the only ink she has which was sort of an impulse decision, but that doesn't make it mean any less to her.
3) Union Jack - left shoulder blade. In honor of the man who first trained her, a veteran wrestler from England who taught her everything that carried her through her wrestling career. He also doted on her, despite his grumpy reputation. She got this tattoo in her early 20s when he passed away suddenly in an awful car wreck. He'd had the same tattoo, but on his right forearm.
4) Mexican skull and sun - left thigh. Mexico was the next place she had any official training, after she left Canada, and she spent several months there. She remembers two things about Mexico: it was hot as hell, and the rings were so unforgiving that she'd never been so sore in all her life. So she decided to commemorate her time there with some ink. It's a big, flaming sun, the face of which is a Day of the Dead style skull.
5) Family crest pieces - left and right calves. Her father's line, the Murphy clan, can be traced back quite far, before they came to Canada. So when Sam asked for a family crest after a trip to visit distant relatives in Ireland, her father was all too happy to oblige. On her right leg, on the outside of her calf, is a tree. A partner piece, a roaring lion, is on her left leg in the same spot. She views the pieces as not only an homage to her name, but to her living family. The bravery and strength of the lion, and the solid dependability of trees, she finds in both her father and brother.
6) Japanese dragon and lily - right thigh. After Mexico and Ireland, the next place Sam visited that had any real meaning to her was Japan. It was here where she arguably saw the biggest moments of her career, and had some of the most memorable experiences. The dragon's head is held up high, claws and teeth bared, with the tail trailing down and curling underneath. Nestled in the tail is a vibrant Japanese lily. She's always fought to balance her strength and her femininity, and for her, this tattoo is a strong reflection of that.
7) Irish skull - left thigh. After getting the Japanese piece, she felt like something was missing. She went over some designs with a friend, and together they came up with something pretty special. Placed below the Mexican sun skull, a white skull rests, but instead of a proper eyes and nose is an upside-down three leaf clover, resting above a set of teeth locked in a grimace.
8) Love you forever - right wrist. Though she already had one tattoo that honored her mother, she wanted something more personal. Her father gave her some old letters passed between himself and his late wife, and she found a sample of her mother's handwriting to use. It's the words, "Love you forever" scrawled across her wrist as though Grace Murphy herself had put them there.
(I might try to find some picture examples of what I'm thinking of here, but that'll be posted separately. And, of course, if she decides to get more, I'll repost this and update it!)
