🖋️ The Tattoo Artist

Who plays who

• A — The Artist: steady hands, a portfolio of ideas, and no ink of any kind.
• B — The Canvas: you choose where each design goes, and how big.
• A leads Acts 1–2. B chooses the final design in Act 3 and leads from there.

What you need

• This is a pretend tattoo: no needles, no ink, no pens, and nothing that breaks the skin — ever
• A tongue, and a mouth you are both comfortable using as the only "tool" in the studio
• Ice, if you want a cold line traced instead of a warm one
• A mirror, so the canvas can watch part of the work
• A warm, clean towel and water for afterwards

Act 1 — 🕯️ Setup

The room is warm, the light is low, and B is lying on their front with one bare shoulder exposed. A is the artist, and the artist has an empty portfolio and no ink at all. Tonight the only tool in the studio is A's tongue.

Beats

• A describes the design out loud before drawing it. B agrees to the area before anything starts.
• The first few "lines" are drawn on the shoulder blade and nowhere more intimate.
• No hands yet — only the mouth, and only where the canvas has said yes.

Lines to say

• "This one starts at your shoulder and goes down. Do you want it there?"
• "Hold still. I don't want to smudge it."
• "Most people flinch at this part."

Act 2 — 🔥 Build

The design has grown from the shoulder down the spine, and B has stopped pretending this is only a tattoo. A is working in long, deliberate strokes, naming each one as it lands. Every line must be named before it is drawn.

Beats

• Move to a new area only after B names it out loud.
• Change technique with every pass: point, flat, edge, and back. Never the same stroke twice.
• B keeps their hands to themselves for the whole act. The canvas does not touch the artist.

Lines to say

• "This is the outline. The shading is the part people remember."
• "Tell me where you want the next one."
• "You're shaking. Should I do that again?"

Act 3 — ⚡ Escalate

B picks the final design — and where it goes — and from that moment B is in charge of the session. A does not get to choose, only to draw. The canvas decides where the last tattoo goes.

Beats

• B names the place out loud. A does not start until B has actually said it.
• A follows B's instructions exactly, even when told to slow down or start again.
• The design is described in tattoo terms throughout: outline, shading, colour.

Lines to say

• "Start again. Slower this time."
• "You said I choose the place. So here."
• "Keep the mouth on the line. Don't wander."

Act 4 — 💥 Climax

The portfolio is abandoned and the studio lights stopped mattering several minutes ago. The design stopped being a design a while back, and neither of you is pretending otherwise. Nobody is drawing anything now.

Beats

• No narration, no descriptions, no more pretending to be tattooing.
• Use the same mouth that drew the lines, exactly where it has earned the right to be.
• Nobody has to finish the design. Leave it unfinished if that is where it lands.

Lines to say

• "Come here. Closer."
• "Don't stop."
• "Look at me."

Act 5 — 🤍 Aftercare

The studio is just a room again and the "tattoos" have already faded to nothing. The care afterwards matters as much as the drawing did.

Beats

• Wipe every area clean with the warm towel, slowly and without teasing.
• Water for both of you, and skin on skin with nothing left to design.
• Say one thing you liked and one place you want drawn next time.

Lines to say

• "Next time I want the whole design finished."
• "That was the best piece I've ever done."
• "Nowhere was too much. I'd have told you if it was."

Aftercare

Clean every area with the warm towel, slowly and without teasing, then water for both of you.,Skin on skin with nothing left to design, and one place each that you want drawn next time.,Say clearly, in plain words, that nothing was pushed past what was agreed — no ink, no skin broken, nothing hidden.

Ground rules and consent

• The "tattoo" is drawn with the tongue only. No needles, no ink, no pens, no real equipment, no blood — and if anything ever breaks the skin, everything stops.
• The canvas names the area before the artist starts on it. Nothing is ever drawn anywhere unnamed.
• "Inkwell" stops the session instantly. So does a raised hand, if speaking would break the mood.
• Skin only, nowhere inside the body, and nowhere either of you has not agreed to.

There is a fuller guide in Massage, properly, if you want it.

Frequently asked