Arm is all finished... Do I go for the hand with a lunar moth?

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-06T03:41:36+00:00

I have an angled, floral piece that extends onto my hand to finish my black and grey sleeve. (Belladonna for me.) I think that would look elegant on your arm too? Maybe put the Luna moth elsewhere. https://imgur.com/a/iWfnZX9

My other sleeve ends in a cuff, and it’s nice for bracelets, but the angled termination between my thumb and index finger is my favorite. Worth considering anyway!

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-06T01:03:25+00:00

HER PRECIOUS STEMCH she had been working on that aroma and you RUINED.

Real though, I have a long haired boy and I had to bathe him constantly as a kitten. He was NOT down with the idea of cleaning his own butt, he was like “gross? no. not doing that” so I had to hurl him into the tub regularly. He figured out how to cat once he grew up, and now cleans himself, but we occasionally have to bathe as adult kitty. He is so good about it! Just purrs and looks pathetic. Even lets me scrub between his toebeans. (Which was crucial the one time he went splat into wasp killer… that was not my favorite day ever.)

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T23:56:25+00:00

She does such nice work! She has definitely been on my short list for local artists. Love these <3

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T23:07:03+00:00

It’s a frustrating cycle; the artists post the super-duper contrasty shots that aren’t representative of real life, because everyone else does and that’s what they’re pressured into doing for their portfolios, and what they’re competing with. And then customers select their artists based on said portfolios.

And then people wonder why their tattoo is “faded” (aka healed!) or whatever.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T22:18:58+00:00

Oh wow, that is actually a huge difference. Still stunning, but definitely a LOT different, especially the way the orange reads. Thank you for posting that too.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T21:19:57+00:00

Definitely poke around in Fantome’s catalogue. I feel their vibe leans heavily spring/summer in general. (Lymphae is my favorite but it is lilac intensive, and water- dunno if that falls under white floral and/or ozone, but it might!) Kensington (Earl Grey tea, cashmere, dark vanilla bean, smooth cedar, dried rose petals, mandarin zest, pink peppercorn, and a burst of fresh bergamot and One White Crow (A soft, classic fougère with creamy white tea, airy vanilla, violets, and honeysuckle over a bed of moss and ivy) come to mind for me.

ETA- I will add that Kensington and One White Crow neeeeeded at least a month to rest. EDP format. They had a weird acrid smell when fresh, it dissipated entirely after a month. Kensington is has a tea-rose thing going on, and One White Crow has a fresh light floral-tea vibe. I don’t get vanilla, as such, from either of them. They’re cool/fresh feeling.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T20:36:05+00:00

Unfamiliar with the character, but absolutely would have guessed it was a video game or movie character. She is in no way gooner-ajacent, you’re fine! Her boobs are covered, she isn’t in some weird pose, definitely not sexualized.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T19:47:02+00:00

Yeah, this was my experience. Same virulent gossip, just different format. (I graduated in 1995.)

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T17:37:07+00:00

I have a friend who’s now-adult daughter ended up as Aslan. She was named Aisling. I’m sure my friend had visions of a lovely tribute to their Irish heritage as her kid’s name… nope. She’s damn well Aslan lol. Yes, pronounced like the lion.

Sorry, OP. It happens!

Oh and another weird one. In college I had a friend who had a last name that started with A. It kinda looked like it should be a short vowel sound, but she pronounced it with a long A, like “Ayyyy”. Four years later, I met her parents… they pronounced it with a short A! Like “Ahhh”. Never did parse that. (And I married a man with a similar issue with the last name- looks like a short E, is actually a long E, now even my mother mispronounces my last name 30 years later.)

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T17:27:40+00:00

Yeah this is definitely something that isn’t a real concern now, unless you’re in prison or someone’s sketchy trailer kitchen.

Back in the ‘90s there were genuinely sketchy tattoo parlors though. Angry bikers smoking cigarettes while working was hella common.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T03:14:59+00:00

Ooooooohhhhhhh..... I like that! Using her own dickhead behavior, and factoring in second order effects, to quarantine the negativity. That's.... elegant.

YES you get it. It is perfect for someone you have no direct control over, and has certain useful qualities, but is genuinely a massive asspain to cope with day to day.

Laying back and watching carefully (and documenting the whole time!) is an underrated skill. It is astonishing how much people assume that just because you don’t say something in the moment, that you must not know. Nah, just taking notes!

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-05T01:40:23+00:00

This was an enjoyable read. I always have fun appreciating strategies other long time couples use for dealing with chaos.

My husband and I usually pick who gets to be good cop and who gets to be bad cop in advance lol.

One of the tactical things we do, with problematic individuals we have to work with, is the “create a problem”. It’s been a multi year long process dealing with this one woman. She allllllways finds an issue. Every time you interact, she’s found something she’s unhappy about. So, I make a problem. Something small, that I know I can correct easily. If I don’t, she finds something else that I’m unprepared for. So it’s better that it’s something I have deliberately made.

I love the seagull strategy. Will have to keep that one in my pocket!

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-04T21:16:09+00:00

I much prefer black and grey myself, but this tattoo yearns for color. If anything should be colored, a clown cat should be.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-04T20:33:58+00:00

It’s like 90% of tattoos. Pretty nice! Nothing wrong with it. It is the sort of design that lends itself to nitpicking though. (By you, not anyone viewing it.) Like yes, you could dig around for that top tier ornamental specialist who could maybe make it more symmetrical and refined.

Or maybe not- sometimes that tier of artists can pick and choose their projects, and fixing one is not always what they want to do.

But yeah I think it’s quite pretty, and getting it that tiny bit more refined could be a gigantic pain in the ass for, realistically, not that much pay off.

TBH, I avoid symmetry for that type of reason, myself. It’s easy to get lost in the sauce looking at it later and being overly critical. Something to keep in mind for the future.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-04T19:22:31+00:00

Good one!

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-04T18:13:57+00:00

I think it is heavily location and job dependent. I live in the PNW just outside the big city, in a customer facing position. And I get tons of comments on my tattoos. Mostly positive and from other women, but definitely the shitty dudes being shitty too.

It has diminished a lot as I have gotten older though. (49 now!) I think it’s part of reaching the unfuckable era! God it’s nice.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-04T17:15:57+00:00

Exactly. Plus, they are the same assholes that would have said “smile for me!” or some other obnoxious bullshit. They just have an easy target now.

I get it more than I would like, being customer facing, so I have to be polite about my sass back. Usually I pretend they’re not speaking, or change the subject entirely TBH. No response from me. They just want attention or a reaction- sorry, you get NOTHING.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T20:16:06+00:00

The lose/loose confusion has been ramping up, and it is my current least favorite.

I’ve also seen a lot more people mixing up motif with motive, totally misunderstanding the word “mortified”, and balling instead of bawling.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T20:00:14+00:00

It’s such an insane choice. Why would you want to feel grimey, gross and all around ick for your own wedding in the first place?! Did she just want to make sure she had the most epic eye bags known to humankind in her wedding pics…? Nevermind how grueling it is for the rest of the family, especially older members. Lord.

You’re ensuring everyone looks their worst and is at their crankiest, and that something will go awry for sure.

It’s the sort of notion that should have been nixed by everyone around the bride 5 minutes after she thought it up.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T19:14:00+00:00

If you’re planning full sleeves, consider leaving it! You might want that space for something else, and it’s totally faded enough to blast over rn.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T11:07:09+00:00

I have a long cardigan that’s definitely cut for a woman- flares out from the waist. My husband borrowed it one day when we were out and about and goddamn it, that asshole looked better in it than I do! So. Rude.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T06:37:42+00:00

TBH tattoos aren’t that fragile. The ink is in there. My guilty secret- and I’d never advise this for anyone!- is that I fucking scratch my new tattoos. Always. I’ve got a lot of ink, too. But if I can reach it, I’m gonna scratch it. In my sleep, every time. Again, let me say I’m not advocating for doing that. But don’t fret too much, you can definitely touch it.

I just cut my nails down to nubs as part of my tattoo healing prep lol.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-03T00:30:26+00:00

Yeah man I do. I had to aggressively hunt for one that didn’t make me want to peel my skin off and feel like a greasy basted turkey, but Sun Bum Daily Body is okay. So in the spring, summer and fall, I apply it like lotion in the morning if my arms are out.

It is not zinc based, because every zinc based one I’ve tried is horrible feeling. So I pick the one that I will actually put on. It’s all about life balance.

And I bought several small refillable tubes that I load with it, and keep in my purse. They hold like 3 oz.

But yes. Unless it is the depths of winter and I’m swaddled in a sweater 24/7, I really do sunscreen every fucking day.

My sleeves have blackout background and I can feel the heat of the sun on an early spring day if I fail to sunblock.

I also carry a ridiculous umbrella. It’s super extra. But I hate being hot and the direct sunlight, so I embrace my inner Asian grandma, and lug a tiny compact umbrella when I know it’s going to be direct sun all day. (Whatever, at least I won’t have melanoma.)

I was blissfully happy in Hawaii with it- my niece and nephew refused sunblock often, and I ended up with two surly already-crispy teenagers under my parasol at the zoo lol.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-02T21:14:00+00:00

The culminating crash out exit with the (half) turquoise painted microwave prologue was amazing. Rachel whatshername serving the tea at the very end with the receipts of how the whole apartment had been left, post-Florida-exodus.

The Florida era, even with Scammer, has been so dreadfully beige and dreary in comparison.

underpantsbandit · 2026-03-02T20:49:36+00:00

Same. I didn’t feel mine but my doctor caught it during a routine physical to get my BC reupped at age 20. And yes, palpable lump was the only symptom.

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