Tattoos

'Game of Thrones' Super Fans Explain Their 'GoT' Tattoos

"I wanted to get tattoo because I'm obsessed with 'Game of Thrones', and also because why not?"
game of thrones tattoo
Yemi admiring his new tattoo.

As we all well know, you cannot truly claim to be a fan of something until you've had its emblem scarred irreversibly into your skin. Say, for example, you claim to "stan" Game of Thrones, but refuse to have a needle dragged through your leg for an hour to prove your devotion. Well, I'm afraid that makes you both a liar and a coward.

Related: recently, Now TV flew tattoo artist Lauren Winzer – famous for tattooing the House Stark sigil on Sophie Turner, i.e. Sansa Stark – from Sydney to Soho's The Circle tattoo parlour to decorate the bodies of some lucky Game of Thrones super fans. Attendees could choose from 15 of Lauren's pre-drawn GoT designs; I asked some of them to explain why they chose what they chose.

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Stuart, 35

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"I'm getting the original design that Lauren did for Sophie. It's all about family, basically, which means a lot to me because I've got four kids.

"It's been a fair few years now, and this is the last series, and I feel like this tattoo tells a story just as much as any other I've got.

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"The reason why I love it so much is because you just can’t guess it – it's so unpredictable. With most movies and TV I can kinda guess where it’s going, but with Game of Thrones I just don’t know.

"The only thing is I’m going to be in Kenya for the last two episodes! I'm a soldier, and they're putting me out in the middle of nowhere – no phone reception or internet. I'm going to have to wait until May to see the last two episodes, so I won’t be checking my phone until I've seen them."

Yemi, 32

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"This is only my second tattoo – my only other tattoo is my daughter's name. I wanted to get the needle, but I wasn’t feeling the writing as much. I might get another one, though; the hand of the king one as well.

"I wanted to get tattoo because I’m obsessed with Game of Thrones, and also because why not? I’d love to get a sleeve of my whole childhood, like Pokemon, Transformers, even some Haribo, but I doubt I'll get it.

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"GoT is the first TV programme I've invested in as much as I have, like watched it all from beginning to end.

"Within watching the first 15 minutes of the first episode, there was killing, there was White Walkers and there was sex – I was like: 'Wow.' And then afterwards I got into the storyline as well."

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Naomi, 27

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"I think my tattoo is obvious it's Game of Thrones without being too obvious, and I didn’t want something too in your face. I get the worst tattoos for the worst reasons!

"I don't regret them, they're just bad. Some are home tatts, when you’re drunk and stuff.

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"There’s no way I’d regret it, I think. It’s such a huge show. Even if something terrible comes out about one actor, I don’t think it will ruin the show, like if someone gets Michael Jacksoned or something – so I don’t think I’d ever regret it.

"It’s going to be something that will be passed on to younger generations, just like Star Wars was back in the day. I think it’s our generation's version of that."

Ashley, 36, Owner of The Circle

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"This is old school, the [tattoo] flash days, like how sailors coming into the ports would just pick from a selection of set designs – just like Lauren has done – and get it as they came straight off the boat.

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"We do other flash events – like Friday the 13th, for example – where it's £50 for a predesigned tattoo. It's a great way for people who don’t normally have tattoos to come in and get a quick one; get the vibe without getting a full sleeve, for example."

Lauren Winzer, 30

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Lauren (right)

"[Sophie Turner's] boyfriend, Joe Jonas, was in Sydney and wanted to get a tattoo, so he messaged me, and then asked if his girlfriend could get a tattoo, and it turned out to be Sophie, so I was like, 'Yes!' But it was so stressful.

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"I started tattooing Miley Cyrus like five or six years ago, and I think that’s how Joe found me because he just messaged me on Instagram, and then it went from there.

"When [Sophie] first got [her tattoo], it was pretty constant with people asking me for GoT tattoos, especially as the show got more popular – although it's died down a bit now. I think people are mad for it here; it's more of an English thing.

"My favourite design is the dragon, but if I was going to get one it would be the needle."

Chebonne, 20

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"This is my second tattoo, after a self-done star on my knee, and I wanted to get it: one, because it was free, but also because I’m planning a lot of tattoos in the summer anyway, like a sleeve based on nature and a Pisces star sign. I’ve always loved tattoos, since I was 14, when I first put the star on my knee.

"Literature is such an important thing to me, and I think preserving that culture on me is important.

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"I don’t think I’ll ever regret it, but I’ll look back on it as an experience, as something I did with my life, but I never want to regret things. Usually I think things through; if I really want something, I’ll go out and get it.

"I'm not the biggest fan of Game of Thrones, but I really respect authors who can build worlds in their books and make them into something massive, as I'm a writer myself. I publish a lot of fantasy stuff on a small writing community called WattPad."

@tom_usher_ / @cleos