Hermann, you've been part of my life for as long as the Kaiju--not if you count Godzilla, admittedly, but basically...since the Kaiju themselves. I think it would have happened regardless. The tattoo, I mean. Though if we were home and had not... I would have probably just put it on my neck or somewhere associated with the brain and never told you, because--it's complicated.

The tattoos? This is me. This is my body of work, my passions. These are the things I have stood toe-to-toe with and respected and feared and loved. Things that have gotten under my skin and into my blood--now, pretty literally--the things I've tried to understand and wanted to know better, because I saw some of myself in them.

This is me. This is, like, the things that are part of me--that belong to me and that I've given part of myself to. So, what I'm saying is, while it's a four-month thing, this isn't really a four-month thing. It's not romantic or a wedding ring or anything. This is a thing that's been building since 2013; it's a long time coming. It's traditional, not just in the way people tattoo their lovers and children's names on their skin, but in something maybe even more ritualistic, you know? A rite of passage. These are the things that make me get up in the morning and work. My victories, but not my conquests. My...experiences.