When I was twenty-one years old, many moons ago in the year two thousand and nine, I decided to get my first tattoo. It probably came as no surprise to anyone who knew me that I decided to get the Deathly Hallows symbol from Harry Potter on the inside of my wrist.

Getting that tattoo really showed me how wide the variety of fandom tattoos really is. If I ever thought I was unique in getting a Harry Potter tattoo, I was so completely wrong. Through my nerdom adventures and my discovery of the Los Angeles Dumbledore’s Army, I’ve really experienced some of the awesomeness in nerd ink.

Now, three years later, I’ve gotten a Star Wars tattoo and three more Harry Potter tattoos, the most recent just last week.

It has really made me think why one gets a “nerd” tattoo. Most people tend to think we’re nuts. The usual response that I get is, “You know that’s permanent, right?” (No, really?! Thank Merlin I have you here to tell me tattoos are permanent). I have found that the responses all vary, from deep and meaningful to silly to because they just wanted to show some love for the fandom. I talked a few of my friends into sharing their tattoos and why they got them.

Victoria-Harry Potter

“Siempre=Always. Meant more to me in regards to that I started reading Harry Potter to my dad when he was in the hospital with cancer.”

Jessica-Harry Potter

“The quote around the Deathly Hallows symbol [It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, for those who can’t read it] is sort of a mantra for my life and words to live by! The thing about the page stars that I like is that only Harry Potter fans will know what they are!”

Allison-Venture Bros. 

“I have Hank Venture from the cartoon Venture Brothers tattooed on my upper left arm and its great! 90% of the people who see it don’t know what it is. On top of that, its a matching tattoo with my brother (He has Dean). He and I are incredibly close, and I love having a bond and connection with him over something nerdy like this.”

Shannon-Twilight

“It’s the Cullen family crest. I got it shortly after the movie and I just wanted a symbol of the series to mark how it changed my life.”

Aaron-Harry Potter

“I liked the design and Death Eaters are cool.”

Monster-Star Wars/Princess Bride

“I’ve been a Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember. These two represent my good and bad sides, you can’t have one without the other. Mind you, I do lean towards the dark side. My Dread Pirates Roberts is for my romantical side. I will do what has to be done for a loved one. I am an old fashioned gentle dyke and often reply “as you wish”. I’ll do just about anything for my true love.”

Tanya-Harry Potter/Record Collecting

Sara (me)-Harry Potter

This is on my left side shoulder blade. The quote is from Harry Potter, from James and Lily Potter’s gravestone, the stars are the page stars from the books. It reminds me, along with my Deathly Hallows, to not fear the unknown and to not fear death when it comes. It also just represents my completely obsession with Harry Potter.”

And these are only a sampling of the cool and awesome tattoos that I’ve come across. I’ve seen Star Wars and Harry Potter, anime and Star Trek, Twilight and Doctor Who, Disney, video games, music, I could go on. Whatever the reason or meaning, its pretty damn cool that there are people like me, willing and proud to show off their love for their fandom.

Now I am proud of my five fandom tattoos and I know my friends are too. Do you have any nerd tattoos or have any plans to get some any time in the future? Share in the comments!

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