IC Contact Post

[mathemagier]

[Screened calls go straight to voicemail, where an impatient recording answers]

You've reached Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. Leave your name, number, and business if you expect a return call. Thank you.

Comments

[mathemagier]

Newton.

[He's a whirl of sudden and complex emotions.

That's.. it is kind of intense, yeah. He's a bit stunned, flattered, and concerned all at once. Tattoos are semi-permanant, with removal being painful at the least, costly and generally more trouble than they're worth.

But then they've already sort of agreed to be married, so it's not. It's just. It's a ring in another form, essentially, and one that spells out a deeper level of belonging in ink.

Newton dedicated his body to the Kaiju, and now there's a part of him that he wants dedicated to him. He's honored, in a strange sort of way and doesn't have any clear thoughts on the matter other than yes, he can see why that's important]

Well, ah.. I figured that was included in 'the obvious'. And no, I'd rather not have my name or initials there regardless.

That's.. something you really want then?

[driftsintobuffetline]

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.

[mathemagier]

Newton...

[There's definitely an emotional softness to his voice now, touched by the depth of thought and consideration that Newton's put into this-- into them.

To have had such a great impact on Newton's life and vice-versa, only he won't have a tattoo to show it. He could get one, but it's not how he works and would hold far less meaning.

Marrying him will have to be enough, because he's certainly feeling that well of love and affection now]

I love you, Newton.

If that's what you want to do, then we'll look into it. It might even be good for us. The only thing we'll want to be sure of is that it's not terribly difficult to remove in case of emergency.