Tattoo and Knee Pad

I got a tattoo.

Is it my first tattoo? I don't know. I got eyebrow tattoo 1.5 years ago. My eyebrow tattoo, though, used semi-permanent ink, meaning one can barely see it now. Does eyebrow tattoo count as a tattoo?

This time, I got myself an ink cat on my left outer side shin, close to the ankle. I have always wanted a tattoo, and I have always wanted a cat. Just didn't know what flash exactly. Months ago, instagram pushed me a post from a tattooist. The account lied in my timeline for a long time, until it finally had some flashes of cats. Amazing artwork, I thought. I kind of knew at that moment, I wanted this. Not to say that I had never saw something that looked amazing, but this time I wanted it on my skin. 朋友说，rule of the thumb, 两年以后如果还喜欢这个图案，就去纹。我也想过，以后不喜欢了怎么办？Then I thought, at least once upon a time, I liked it. It's what life left on me. It is OK to stop liking it in the future.

Did it hurt?

A little bit. Also heard that it depends on where one gets the tattoo on. Closer to bone areas hurt more, like back and ribs.

So, what's going on with knee pads? 这个问题来源于，攀岩用knee pad是不是作弊？有个朋友坚定地认为，用knee pad就是作弊！Had a little discussion with this friend in T&T.

我：为什么用knee pad是作弊？

Friend：因为使用了外界的物品帮助爬上去。我爬xxx题就没有用knee pad。

我：那有点疼啊。

Friend：对，用了knee pad就不疼了，作弊。

我：吃了止痛药，不疼了，算作弊吗？

Friend：不算。

我：止痛药不算，knee pad就算。都是使用外界物品帮助爬上去。止痛药吃到肚子里就算内在物品了吗？

Friend：止痛药当然不算，你看世界级比赛都可以使用。

我：（想了想好像没有比赛戴knee pad的，但是野外pro爬的时候也经常用knee pad，也被承认了啊。）

Somehow上面这句话没机会说出来，好像是朋友又说了啥打断了这个stream。

我：攀岩鞋算作弊吗？

Friend：攀岩鞋当然不算。（停顿。）如果FA使用了knee pad，之后的人再用就不算作弊。

我：如果FA小腿长60cm，你腿长只有50cm，怎么办？

Friend：那就根本没法爬啊。

我：knee pad下面垫几本书....

Friend：（打断我）作弊啊！

说到这里，朋友表示我们应该结束这个话题，别讨论了，我也就算了。本来，我还有一些scenarios如下。

如果一个人用自己的皮肤做了一个knee pad，作弊吗？

如果一个人割了自己的肉垫在knee pad下面，作弊吗？

如果一个人断骨增高了，作弊吗？

等等。

knee pad作弊与否和纹眉算不算tattoo，在某个high level上，算是一个问题。这就是为什么我坐在纹身店里，想起了这个discussion。