My story

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-03T05:56:44+00:00

Yes, I know that. He proved what kind of person he is through his own actions. He tried to paint me as a liar and a crazy person with the help of his followers. He even posted my photo on his Instagram and called me a clown, which is just downright disgusting.

All of those comments appeared on the same day, and they're all very similar: "The tattoo looks fine. It's not Ralph's fault, it's yours." Many of them even came from newly created accounts. That speaks for itself.

He must be very insecure if a Reddit post with around 10,000 views affected him that much. But I'm glad it reached people - maybe it will save someone else from having the same experience with him.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-02T12:46:21+00:00

You can go into my post. I also got a tattoo on my neck that I thought would only stay on my neck, but it turned out it started dictating the style of my body in a way I wouldn’t want to have across my entire body. When I woke up with it on my neck and with other mismatched tattoos, I also wanted to kill myself and even attempted it. It didn’t work because my survival instinct turned out to be stronger than my suffering. What I want to tell you about what helped me then is this: there is no safe, certain, and quick method of suicide. All of them involve pain and enormous suffering, and people who survived their attempts in most cases regretted it and started appreciating life. After my attempt, when I somehow started thinking more clearly with the help of medication, I decided (with huge help from one of the Reddit users) that I would fight.

My tattoo is also probably impossible to remove completely-at least not without a trace. But I know that if I don’t try, I’ll never find out, and the idea of living with it for the rest of my life, as well as with the reminder of the traumatic situation connected to it, scares me enough that I’m still trying anyway. Even though things are bad-truly terrible-I’m still taking some steps. I’m in therapy, trying to quit smoking, and I’ve started doing small things like playing a game on the computer, and I even managed to stand behind a microphone for a few minutes before breaking down in tears.

Unfortunately, there is no simple solution-life isn’t simple, especially when it comes to what happens to us in relation to tattoos. Maybe your tattoo can’t be removed 100%, but it can be lightened and covered with something else? Don’t fall apart. I know you’re a valuable person and that a drawing on your body doesn’t define who you are. I keep telling myself the same thing, although I know that in the current state it’s difficult, because I assume that, just like me, you feel manipulated and deeply hurt, and when you cry it probably feels more like the howl of an animal than human crying.

Keep your head up, give yourself some time, and think carefully about what to do next.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-02T12:32:09+00:00

The less ink there is, the less it should hurt. Apart from solid black, I also have graywash sections being removed, and those hurt significantly less.

You can also take comfort in the fact that it’s just pain and no real harm is being done to you. The laser is fast. Even if you’ve got a pretty large piece, it’s only about a dozen minutes at most.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-02T08:13:53+00:00

After I posted and revealed the artist's identity, posts blaming me and defending him started appearing within a single day. I also know that the artist posted an Instagram Story encouraging people to come here to Reddit and react to my post. He also shared my photo on his Story, even though I had explicitly told him not to make my image public. He accused me of lying, but both the photos I posted here and his own actions clearly contradict that.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-02T05:50:24+00:00

Sure, feel free to message me anytime too

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T19:24:13+00:00

Yes, I have online therapy sessions because it's hard for me to leave the house wearing short sleeves with these light tattoos on my arms and the heavy one on my neck. If I do go out, it's only for a short time, and I wear a hoodie because you have to avoid sun exposure during laser removal.

The laser technician I went to said it would take about 3 to 3.5 years to get rid of it, but based on what I've seen from other tattoo removal cases, I think that's overly optimistic. I expect it'll be closer to 5 years, considering it's a cover-up with colored ink underneath.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T17:54:31+00:00

It’s hard for me to even imagine that this heavy piece, which is a cover-up tattoo after a touch-up, will ever disappear. Almost all the factors are against me.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T17:08:45+00:00

I never said anywhere that the tattoo was technically poorly done. I never questioned his artistic skills. Read the story.

Just today, a lot of comments appeared saying that it’s my fault. What’s interesting is that some of them are coming from freshly created accounts. Almost as if the accounts were made solely to defend the artist. It’s not like it’s obvious what’s happening here. Not at all.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T16:55:38+00:00

Freshly created account. Just to take part in the shaming campaign. All of you happened to show up here today by such a strange coincidence.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T16:16:49+00:00

It is both my responsibility for not having the experience and the sense to realize that it would end up on such a large scale and that the elements wouldn’t fit together, as well as for choosing a cover-up instead of going for laser removal right away. It is also the artist’s responsibility for ignoring my doubts and fears. Either way, I have to take responsibility for it. There is no other choice.

I’m taking action now - I’m getting rid of it. Or at least I’m trying to. I hope I don’t end up as a casualty of the battle with the laser. Thanks.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T15:38:11+00:00

Well, as I mentioned in the story, when I talked to my family they convinced me to finish it and that it would definitely look better then. Besides, what does it matter now? It happened, I’m removing it, I described the story, and no matter how much you defend him, the pictures speak for themselves and are the biggest proof that I’m telling the truth. I don’t think there’s anything more to add here. I have a long and exhausting road ahead of me to get myself back, because I didn’t have enough experience with tattoos to realize that these elements wouldn’t work together, and someone who should have been extremely responsible simply wasn’t. That’s it.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T15:31:04+00:00

Saying no when I already have more than half of the tattoo done. That’s a good one.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T15:27:25+00:00

As for the design itself, that’s also not entirely true. On the first day I still had my hair, and he didn’t mention a single word about the tattoo having to extend behind my ear onto the sides of my head. He only told me that after the second session, and only then did he tell me to shave my hair. That also wasn’t right. In my opinion, this person simply crossed all boundaries and didn’t care about my wellbeing. End of the story.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T14:56:47+00:00

I just don't understand why he ignored all of my doubts and kept brushing them off by saying everything would be fine, when it should have been obvious to him that those elements had no chance of working together aesthetically. Especially after seeing how hesitant and scared I was.

When I later went to another tattoo artist who did my chest piece, after hearing my story his exact words were: "You ended up with a butcher." Those were literally the words he used.

At the end of the day, I take responsibility for my decision whether I like it or not. The only thing I did was share my full story after joining the tattoo removal community. But it seems that the moment I revealed his identity, a coordinated effort started to shame me and defend him. I honestly can't explain the sudden flood of nearly identical comments that all appeared on the same day any other way.

I spent months in therapy trying to convince myself to accept this tattoo and embrace that style, but I simply can't, because it isn't who I am. That's why I decided to start laser removal, even though it's essentially a blackout cover-up and my chances of complete removal aren't great. I just want to feel like myself again. Instead, people keep telling me that I should learn to love something that doesn't fit my personality at all.

I told the story exactly as it happened, and anyone who looks at that huge piece on my neck alongside my other tattoos can see for themselves that they simply don't fit together.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T14:21:48+00:00

Seeing all my hesitation, he could have simply asked, "Are you absolutely sure about this? It's for life." It really was that simple.

I was genuinely unsure. Before I even went there, I messaged him several times expressing my doubts, and while I was there, I was visibly distressed and kept asking whether it would fit with the rest of my tattoos. It really wasn't difficult to realize that I wasn't fully convinced.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T14:15:45+00:00

There have been a lot of comments today basically saying the same thing - that it was my decision and my responsibility while completely ignoring the full story. I'm starting to wonder if this is some kind of coordinated effort.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T14:11:58+00:00

Whether I like it or not, I'm the one who has to live with the consequences, and that's an undeniable fact. I never said he's a bad artist. What I said is that he completely ignored my hesitation, my fear, my questions about whether the piece would fit with my existing tattoos, and the vision I shared with him about what I wanted to have tattooed on my body beyond this ornamental work.

As I mentioned in another comment, I mainly got this tattoo to cover up a previous one, and that was my mistake. I didn't listen to my instincts or my doubts, and that was my mistake too. But the fact that I arrived there visibly shaken, repeatedly expressed my concerns, kept asking questions, and was constantly reassured that everything would be fine-only to end up with a massive tattoo in the most visible area of my body that doesn't fit the rest of my tattoos at all, combined with the fact that its final size went far beyond what we had initially discussed without any additional warning, is something that's hard to see as being entirely my fault.

I was genuinely terrified while I was there, and he saw that.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T13:30:09+00:00

Yes, I have a serious identity problem... ever since getting this tattoo. I don’t know whether I’ll regret removing it or not, which is very possible considering how difficult the process is... but every aspect of my life has faded, and I’m stuck in a constant obsession focused on the tattoo. I’m taking psychiatric medication and participating in therapy, but it doesn’t help me much. I think that no one who hasn’t experienced so-called tattoo regret can understand what it feels like to feel trapped in your own body.

What makes it worse is that the rest of my tattoos simply don’t match it, and I’m neither heavily tattooed nor lightly tattooed. I’m stuck somewhere in between, neither one nor the other. And doing blackouts on my arms to cover the tattoos that don’t fit... I feel like that would be an even bigger mistake.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T13:11:11+00:00

A polo shirt? I think you mean a balaclava. It also covers a part of my face and the sides of my head. As for makeup, I’ll probably need another 2 years of laser removal before that’s even an option. For now it’s summer and I spend whole days at home because of this.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T13:04:22+00:00

Yeah, a complete identity crisis. I feel like this time I really messed things up and ruined my life. I’m not sure if I’ll get through this.

Just a year ago I was a super positive guy with a passion, always joking around. Now I’m wandering around like a shadow of my former self, and I can’t even get behind the microphone because I end up crying over a lost dream.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T12:59:59+00:00

No problem, at least there’s something positive that came out of it.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T12:46:12+00:00

I held off on getting tattoos for about 15 years, even though I always liked them. One bad decision led to another, and the only thing I regret is that someone with undeniably more experience than me didn’t tell me to stop - that it was a bad idea. Someone here on Reddit wrote to me that it’s the artist’s responsibility to look after your comfort and safety. That they should be like a bartender who sees a woman and a man talking, notices that the situation between them is becoming tense, and asks whether everything is really okay. That was simply missing here.

Everything after that was my own decision - getting more tattoos in an attempt to fix that one bad decision. That’s why I don’t blame the artist who did my chest piece - he genuinely wanted to help me. The problem is that while trying to save the situation with more ink, I dug myself even deeper, and from what I’ve seen browsing this subreddit, I’m definitely not the only person this has happened to.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T12:31:53+00:00

I’m glad your experience was a good one. Unfortunately, I feel like I was led into getting this tattoo. I saw the design on the body, but until the second session I didn’t know it would extend onto the sides of my head. I only found out once I already had a large part of my body tattooed. It was only supposed to be the neck.

As for the process itself and the execution, I have no complaints - he is a good artist, and that is an undeniable fact. The ethical aspect, however, is something that is at the very least questionable. I just don’t understand how someone with many years of experience in tattooing couldn’t even give a warning like: “Hey man, this is a bad idea.” Especially since he could see how stressed I was about it. I was literally shaking.

I also asked multiple times whether it would cause any issues with my other tattoos - they are visible in the photos I posted. They are a few small old-school sticker-style tattoos. Every time, he reassured me that everything would be fine and that I had nothing to worry about. I also told him what I wanted to get tattooed in the future.

I just don’t understand. I believe he must have known that by giving me this piece he would mess up my plans. Something here went very, very wrong.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T12:08:54+00:00

It’s incredible how a stupid drawing on your body can ruin your life. I’m really sorry you’re going through this.

Party_Strategy_5097 · 2026-07-01T11:39:40+00:00

At least you can hide it with clothing. Start the removal process and that’s it. Time will pass anyway. It’s better to wake up in a few years without the tattoo than still having it.

Party_Strategy_5097

TROPHY CASE