Crystal's Ice-Bat and Gloomy Bear (with a Nod to The Academy Is)

<span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These tattoos, belonging to Crystal, date back to an encounter I had with her on the R train in Brooklyn back in June. She has 14 tattoos, and first shared this one, on her inner right forearm:</span><br /> <br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pQ_ItEzbx-xZjR7JORuf5L74Z4u5i29wz8RVRgIcwPJ9QoaM2oGgNBSU-oCYTF9ey9hLz2kjuHnLBEV47V2upACBrKfud6xn91cah1z0FveGL4-lxerWDswV8iY9gLFENzxdX4vgp54/s1600/ice+bat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2pQ_ItEzbx-xZjR7JORuf5L74Z4u5i29wz8RVRgIcwPJ9QoaM2oGgNBSU-oCYTF9ey9hLz2kjuHnLBEV47V2upACBrKfud6xn91cah1z0FveGL4-lxerWDswV8iY9gLFENzxdX4vgp54/s400/ice+bat.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What is this? I'll let Crystal explain: </span><br /> <blockquote><span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“It’s an Ice-Bat  [one of the Uglydolls] with the words ‘Dream of demons / while you sleep / that make you / stutter / when you speak’ – they’re lyrics from a song [“Down and Out”] by The Academy Is, a Chicago band. My best friend and I actually have the same words, different design on her arm. We met in Chicago … it’s kind of a way to show our support for the band but also for our friendship to each other.”  </span></blockquote><span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Incidentally, The Academy Is announced just last week that, after eight years, they were breaking up.</span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This piece was done at The Chicago Tattooing and Piercing Company, but Crystal doesn't recall the name of the artist who did the tattoo.</span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">She also shared this chest piece:</span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4ROGA_8OApcHpDBH4xKKyYRJS-vVE-EdJ9pQcc95ovb0MeoSrwws6BJbeC0BrhoaFFFqDhm_CepJFiBuRcXJ4QG9UCaIo9vIIcxTKP4tn4Z4CM-jAe-1kQk5hvBi6DudT4QktuV8t38/s1600/chest+piece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht4ROGA_8OApcHpDBH4xKKyYRJS-vVE-EdJ9pQcc95ovb0MeoSrwws6BJbeC0BrhoaFFFqDhm_CepJFiBuRcXJ4QG9UCaIo9vIIcxTKP4tn4Z4CM-jAe-1kQk5hvBi6DudT4QktuV8t38/s400/chest+piece.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span><br /> <span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Again, Crystal explains it best:</span><br /> <blockquote><span id="internal-source-marker_0.36276135681059196" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> “I got started on it when I was 19 and I was in Atlanta and had just started college and went through a rebellious phase. … I’m in love with the main character which is Gloomy Bear … Gloomy Bear is kind of the doll that controls the boy…..”</span></blockquote><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">More on Gloomy Bear can be learned on its designer Mori Chack's wikipedia page. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thanks to Crystal for sharing her ink with us here on Tattoosday!</span><br /> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br /> <br /> Here's a little bonus, The Academy Is performing "Down and Out" at an in-store event:

Crystal's Ice-Bat and Gloomy Bear (with a Nod to The Academy Is)

These tattoos, belonging to Crystal, date back to an encounter I had with her on the R train in Brooklyn back in June. She has 14 tattoos, a...

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