I jumped right to the pic of the tattoo, but going back and reading your story within a story was so worthwhile. Reading about your history of tattoos seriously made me look at my own plans in a different perspective. I think I've been getting too hung up on coming up with a design that's completely unique while remaining attractive and "cool". And now I realize I need and want to integrate more symbolism about who I am and what I've been through opposed to just creating a design that is a tangible sample of my creativity and imagination.

Anyway, about your tattoo...

Wicked awesome! The shading over the original ink makes it at least three times as cool. And all the new work imparts three-dimensionality and even movement to the whole thing. It looks alive! The darker blue (which is my favorite color, btw) struck me as different at first, but it's actually perfect b/c it keeps the sun in the foreground.