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 Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 3:34 am
He'd been practicing again. Mainly on fruit, but he wasn't as rusty as he thought. It was like riding a bike. Just had to get that muscle memory back. Since Waru had come talk to him, really wanting another tattoo by Kor, the man couldn't stop thinking about it. So, he'd agreed to do it.
A room in the abandon parlor was reorganized, sterilized, and his equipment had been checked over to make sure nothing had happened while it was sitting. New ink had been ordered and many, many oranges, tangerines, and grapefruits sported tattoos before he ended up tossing them in the garbage, satisfied with his work.
How he missed this.
The hum of the machine, the vibrations that went up his arm. It helped his head go quiet and fuzzy. He felt more centered than he had in a long time.
It made sense, in a weird way. Kor had been tattooing for years, since he was a teen giving really bad ones with a stolen machine and home made ink. It was stress relief back then, that wouldn't change.
So just open shop when you purify.
He could do that, right?
Either way, he was here, waiting for Waru to show up on time to the appointment. Nervous excitement buzzing close to the surface.
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Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 2:38 pm
Slouched over a couch, half a cheese stick wrapped in turkey hanging from his mouth - and he'd gotten a text message. Gotten a quiet buzz of invitation. He'd never been up so fast in his life - dressed in something less schlubby - threw himself into some semblance of presentable so he didn't come off as 'tweaker extraordinaire'. Brushed his teeth and brushed his dreads back into a pony tail, outta the way, twisted into some semblance of order that inspired neatness. It was cheating - he knew - to abuse his newfound powers as he had been - to take the energy so carefully gathered and waste it on stepping out of his house and into an alley behind the shop. He wasn't going to risk being late though, not for this. Dropped it all like a rough shudder, and was glad in a sense for being a little tired from it - maybe meant it'd take the edge off his bouncing, excited, need to see Kor. To get this done. Did he kock? Did he ring the bell? Did ******** - no texting only knocking - tweaker on one in full and so what, at least the guy wouldn't confuse who it was for anyone else. "Kor, if your in there..."
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Posted: Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:11 am
"Yeah I'm back here!" He called, the door to the room he was in was open, and the rest of the place was lit up. At one point it was a fun place, this parlor. There was an area with leather couches, wrapped up in plastic now, a giant TV, and what looked like a DVD set up or gaming set up in a locked cabinet. There was even a pool table that looked loved. Everything had a layer of dust on it. It wasn't thick but it was clear the place didn't get regularly cleaned and dusted. Except the room Kor was currently in. He was double checking his equipment pieces, the spring, the connection to the battery. "Sorry the place is a mess. I closed up a long time ago, so..." Green eyes glanced up and through the door, spotting the other and just waved him in. "So you have sketches or ....something of what you'd like? Or am I mirroring?"
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Posted: Fri Sep 24, 2021 1:37 am
Where Waru was irreverent with front doors, he was infinitely more careful with with peoples inner spaces. Breathed it all in as he carefully cut through it to find Kor. A smell like a memory that had faded and scabbed over, that helped him hold his grin - a thing that crawled from ear to ear - he could juxtapose what had ben over what was. Transplant the vision he had in his head of that. When everything was shiny, if not new. When things were full of life instead of wrapped mausoleum thin - with plastic and dust - ready to be put away. "It's fine Kor, besides I didn't come out here for the stellar decor - nice as it was. Came for you." him, and his skills, a craftsman with his steady hands and soft tones. Light that took up Waru's eyes as the guy offered up more than he'd bargained for. "Wait, is that an option? Hah! Are you offering me more n' just a touch up now - cause ******** yes to literally all of that - How much are you willing to do?" didn't want to push for more than he could have, just as easily as he wanted to soak up all that was on offer. If the place was gonna stay closed, if Kor was gonna stay done? Waru would take advantage without seeming greedy, would find that line and walk it. Could pull up what he wanted off his phone if all else failed, wasn't like he hadn't planned his life around his body - creating an image out of it.
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Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 6:39 am
Waru would have remembered Kor with his dreads, a bit more filled out. He wasn't that anymore, but he was getting that same life about him. Or Kor hoped so. He was trying very hard to dig himself out of his self-imposed sadness. Swallowing thickly, he rubbed his hands together and looked up at Waru, green eyes taking in what he was wearing, trying to judge if he had enough ink ordered. Of course he did, Kor wouldn't short himself like that, but he also tended to worry about things like that. "I mean... I can touch up but I thought maybe you'd want some work done. Uh. I'm up for a long session if needed." Honestly he was. "But I guess just pitch me ....what you wanted and I'll see what I can do on that?" He wasn't going to commit to a full black and white sleeve in one sitting. No, no. He could do a good five hours though. That might be fun. "Take lunch breaks and stuff if needed." Eight and Half had no snacks in the fridges, nothing more than water and soda that he and his boyfriends all tended to get if the upstairs ran out. "But I do charge by the hour 'f we do that."
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Posted: Sat Sep 25, 2021 9:38 am
His grin was going to crack open his godamned face, high beams and glee, and he'd have to make himself breath enough not to vibrate out of the place, because the guy was serious? Honest to goodness - s e r i o u s!? "Yes! Oh, uh, hell yes. So - I didn't come like, with the mindset for ribs, and the neck n shoulders are all - it'd be nice, but I'm way to sore for that." from everything he'd had to do throughout the week. The thought of getting a back tattoo started without finishing it would've only made him sad - not that he wanted to do it all in one sitting, hell no, he needed to be able to sit against things the next day.. "How about - are you good to start on a sleeve? I'll take even a start for it - like - I made sure to bring money, yanno? Just uh, not snacks?" hadn't expected to stay long enough to do it, hadn't expected Kor to be feeling good and open enough to extend such hospitality. It was exciting, but more than that? Waru was grateful, was sure he'd ******** cry over it by the end of it all - after today - after a week from today. He needed a win, and this? Oh, sure as hell did feel like some kind of a win to him. "You're sure right? Doubly, triply, like super sure you just wanna do me up n' get lunch n chill?" cautious little ask, even though his eyes begged 'please' and 'yes'. He wanted to be polite though - or at least some approximation of that. Considerate, maybe? For all the time and effort the guy was putting in, a gift of a thing.
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Posted: Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:06 am
Well good, because Kor didn't want to deal with someone who wanted ribs but wasn't prepared for the pain that came with it. He listened still, stretching himself out while he puttered about the small room. Paper was grabbed, pens and markers. "I'm offerin', so yeah, I'm sure. You uh... Just tell me where you want to start, what you want on this sleeve... It'll be a bit to draw it up, but I can get in a few good hours if you're free." Green eyes looked back to Waru with a question. Yeah, Waru signed up for touch ups and Kor was offering him hours. Not everyone had time like that. "I understand if you got plans or something. So don't feel obligated."
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Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 3:27 am
Quirked grin for that, and Waru was in heaven. Guy asking if he was sure? Like his offered effort was an imposition, ********, such a sweetheart of a thing. Waru coulda shook him. Just barely restrained himself from vibrating through the with floor barely tamped excitement. “Oh no, you’re only the person I hunted down like a crackhead, offering me up the thing I want most? Whatever shall I do…” chased with a chuckle and he thought a match to start would’ve been good - laid out an idea with lines that started at his wrist and worked its way up from there. Easiest for him to acclimate into a long set of it started on the smallest circumference of skin n bone - even if it was a more delicate area. “You’re good Kor, you’re like - beyond good - m’happy to take up as much time as you’re willing to give. I mean - plan wise? It was you, plan of the day, right here. Any gigs I get are usually night related, yanno? Leaves me with my days free up.” Warm smile and joy and how badly he wanted to impress upon the man that he was free up. Would stay that way, would clear ******** time if something popped up to interrupt *this.* Cause Kor’s work was worth it, surprise or not.
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 5:07 am
"You might have had something important to do, or something. I dunno. I was just checking." Kor chuckled to himself again before he finally settled down at his desk, having taken a tracing of the size and shape of Waru's arm. He said a sleeve. With Waru's guidance, Kor sat there for almost a full hour drawing out onto this tracing paper, in pencil, what Waru had described, even using his other arm as reference for things. He was quiet and serious when working, but friendly enough. When he concentrated too hard, Kor's pierced tongue poked out , turning the paper this way and that way in order to get the angles right and make it easier on himself. Finally held up that drawing and let Waru look it over. "Okay, any additions or subtractions, let me know. Then I'll trace it on the ink, get it all on your arm, and I think I can knock out all the outline in three...hours? Maybe less, but comfortably three since it has been a minute."
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Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2021 9:40 am
"You're sweet Kor." professional was probably the better word for it? Waru settled on sweet though. Felt right to say, guy being all considerate, dripped with it like nervous energy. Some bright trapped thing. Waru couldn't help but latch on to that. Chance to socialize over a shared passion, to engage with someone on something he held such a deep pleasure for - and to see that reflected in the etchings of Kors work. Little nuances of expression while he focused on getting it all just right... Getting it right for Waru. He coulda hugged the guy for it, so goddamned excited about it all as he watched it unfold in lines on trace paper. "Yeah?" slow wide grin, dreaded nod, and Waru was all for it. 1000% in and het up to have it done. "M'all yours Kor." the lining wouldn't be bad, never was - getting it filled - coming back to do that over time? That would be the trick of it, but having good lines down was always the foundation of a thing. Couldn't have a good tat if the lines were too thick, or sketchy, or scarred to s**t... "Like - all the time - just uh, thanks for all this, yeah? I really do appreciate it." and the last thing Waru wanted to be was a stressor. Would've rather Kor enjoyed his time over him on the table as much as Waru knew he was going to enjoy his time under the man on it.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 5:15 am
Sweet? Hardly. Kor just didn't want to take up too much of someone's time. It was something all his lovers had to deal with. He'd want the affection, want all their time, but knew that was greedy and unrealistic, so he often tried to keep himself at bay for the most part. Tried being the key word there. Eventually someone picked up on his mood and fixed it. This was neither here nor there, however. Getting back to he task at hand, he was now lining the pencil drawings on a clean sheet of tracing paper with a pen that he used all the time. Luckily he'd found a pack of new ones and it wasn't dried up. All his? Kor had to bite back a grin and a witty reply. He wasn't supposed to flirt with customers. Not anymore "Well you've still got a bit of time. Cleaning this up so I can transfer these lines to your skin so I can get started. This part takes a little bit. I'd say go get a snack, but everything in the vending machines is probably expired considering it's been over a year since I last opened these doors for anyone for this kind of thing." Sometimes he used the shop entrance to go upstairs, but it wasn't frequent. "So why don't you uuuh... I dunno, talk to me. What's the tattoo scene like now anyway?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 6:32 pm
Good, good to lay back and chat and fill the air with voice. Waru was a little surprised for the ask, could never be sure if people needed quiet focus time to get things done, or if they were like a hair salon - except even some hair salons needed to hit pause on the customers prattle. Kor was asking for him to talk though? Slow wide grin for that because hell yeah, why not? Fill the time with talking and play catchup on happenings of the world. "I feel like it's shitty? Not that the artists are bad, but like, listn' I see so much s**t that looks like a stick n' poke being talked up as professional work? Like, who pays for that? To have something that looks like a low quality prison tat - and I almost wanna put out PSA's on - I dunno - things? Like. You tell someone that's permanent, and then they look you dead in the eyes and say 'they know' and you gotta follow it up with ' awh thats cute', cause maybe it's important to them? Maybe they want it to be - uh - like that? I'd feel like an absolute a** if I just - if I pissed on someone's dreamlines..Cause you never know with people. I'm just - I'm the kinda person who wants to know? Like, please for the love of all that is in existence, ******** ' tell me' my ideas are s**t and I can do better? Or, to change this or; cause there's the thing that lives in your head, right? The lines you want permanently etched into your soul, how bad you want them, so bad that you're willing to put up with like - getting them tattooed there - but then! There's the reality of how it looks on your body ten years from now - and reconciling the two ideas into one image and placing ' future dates' on that image, and like, aging, and yeah..it's hard? So...uh...but again, I'm very much a 'no koi gardens and tramp stamps' kinda guy. Oh!! Which, speaking of, how do you feel about scarification? Like, as a practice, or an artform, or like...." Paused long enough between lines of speaking to catch sips of air enough to let the words become m o r e. Nothing much a question, or a true statement, or anything other than rhetorical. Just talking. If Kor had opinions, if he didn't, and if it mattered? Which to Waru it really didn't - because he never felt very strongly one way or another on much - except for the things on which he did? Except he was always open enough to change to have his mind changed on those things... "I'm...you can uh...none of these things need answering, by the way. S'just. Heh, give a guy an inch and he takes a mile, yeah?" splayed his fingers and kicked his heels, sat and grinned effortlessly, hunger inlaid in it all. Watching gentle strokes take forms on paper take life in lines... Wanted - would've talked for hours if it would've gotten him what he wanted...about the sky, about the air they breathed, about his thoughts on the scene and new-wave trash that had blown in with a slew of people who didn't have artists with opinions. Who did it just for the money. Because there was money to be made. Fair of them to do it. That was how a buisness worked, ******** capitalism at its finest. Except he prefered people who could, and would tell him no over all others. People who had enough thought to tell him off when he needed to be told off - unoffended by such things - always, because boundaries were respectable, and people who were professional with setting those boundaries with their work? ********, he had a hardon for a good work ethic, for sure.
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 9:10 pm
The kid has passion. Kor grinned to himself as he continued to line, trying to be as clean as he could be. The cleaner the transfer lines, the smoother the inking went. Passion and an eye for what made a good tattoo. Damn. If he had his shop up and running he might see about an apprenticeship. He'd start off just moping, cleaning, sterilizing, but Kor would have taught him how to tattoo. He scratched at his scalp as he continued to listen. "Well, each tattoo means something to someone. Even if it looks basic to you, it holds a meaning to the person who has it. Even the ones that get covered and removed, at some point were special. So... Yeah, you should invest in quality, but hey. I have my own prison tats. He'd given his fair share of them, too. "Sometimes the free tats are just fun for the story, too." Kor loved a good story about how a tattoo came about, even if it was something someone did with a stencil or something. "Ah, sacrificing? Like people? Like cats and dogs, witches and s**t? I think it had a place in history I guess. They didn't really know much better, but like..." He paused a little, thinking, before going to get back to lining on the light box. "Why? Got a fascination with it?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 11:19 pm
A running hum of acknowledgement, and Waru got that too. Stories interwoven in decisions that showed on skin. In scars, in laugh lines, and sometimes? In ink. Soft quirk of grin, and he wondered what kind of story Kor had for his. If he showed them off to friends, if he still told those kind of tales to people who were interested enough to hear them? Slow wide blink and - maybe he'd said that wrong. "Wha? Oh, no no - not sacrificing! Not - my life's magical enough without delving into the deep end of a halloween movie! Scarification? Is more, ah, ritualized scarring. Think - Killmonger? All the little stippled scars; man I feel for those poor makeup artists.." chuckle that bled into a sigh for that. Tried to pull on the only cultural reference he could think of that would make sense. "Like, do you remember when weird stuff for forty year old moms took off? Shades of gray things, and all of a sudden there's this wave of people who are suddenly into it - whips n chains - except without having a concept for, yanno. The safe and healthy version of that? Casue they're watching grocery store rom-com's for hot moms, but on a big screen? N' like - it's posted up as being 'edgy n dark'." derisive little snort, waved it off and hunted down his point, because he was sure he had a point in there somewhere. "Like - scars as art - deliberately made. N technically it's a tribal thing, n I'm not looking to poach s**t, but sometimes you see something and you get an idea for it, but can't figure if it'd look good for real? Cause there's how that s**t looks on the big screen - and then there's real life? That's - okay I'm really bad at making points, yeah? But scars as art is kinda the crux of that, and I'd be into it. Except I can't figure yet if I want it because I've got this fleeting idea that it'd look cool - or if its because I'd actually enjoy having it done?" and Waru's other line of work led to him getting marked the hell up a lot of the time; more than half of the time. He was no stranger to it, pain, scars, burns, broken ribs, the whole nine. Half the reason he didn't want Kor inking his up was because he still wasn't sure how well they'd set - ******** - re-set - since his second run in with his dearest deer. The ache that pervaded and he didn't need to add needles and vibrations on top of that. Didn't need to tell Kor - cause - how to explain getting his a** kicked by geese, deer, and also 'scantily clad magical girl' that he ******** was? Yeah, there were some stories that were pretty hard to tell, even when he had 'em for whatever marks they left.
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Posted: Wed Oct 06, 2021 3:35 am
He paused once it was clarified what Waru was talking about and Kor's eyes became sharp. Slowly he man took his shirt off, revealing his own tattoos and scars. He had gun shots, stab wounds, and acid burns across his body. He had a litany of smaller scars scattering his torso, some gnarly looking, some looking just like tiny pale lines. Some so old you hardly noticed them anymore. None of them really looked fresh. Kor's body condition was improved. He wasn't a walking skeleton anymore. It was clear he was still overly thin, but it wasn't as deadly or dangerous looking anymore. His bones didn't stick out. The acid burn was on the right side, splashed across his ribs, disappearing into his pants on his back and hip. Stab marks in the chest, slashes on the arm, bullet scars in his stomach, scars along his sides from bullets ripping through him. "I don't like it. I earned each of these scars when I was younger. Deserved all of 'em probably. So scaring yourself on purpose, for whatever reason, like you killed someone, one scar for everyone you killed. So what? I never understood that. It's nothing to be proud of, taking a ******** life." He was talking from experiences outside of the Negaverse. Experiences where it was chalked up to 'gang violence' and no one would ever know who really ended this life. He slipped his shirt back on but didn't seem mad. He settled back in his chair and just picked up the marker again. Kor then took a deep breath and sighed again. "Fifty Shades is a vile ********' movie and that's nothin' like a contracted S&M relationship is supposed to go." He had words about that. He loved the BDSM scene, but Fifty Shades was dangerous.
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