I thought my tattoos would scare people away

Now that its hot as hell out, it happens EVERY single day. Whether i'm in the elevator, standing in line at the store, or just walking down the damn street, some perfect stranger feels the need to tell me how much he or she really really really thinks my tattoo is "cool, beautiful" or "awesome." Now call me crazy, but if a surly-looking girl with a massive tattoo on her upper arm and shoulder walks down the street, shouldnt you be trying to avert your eyes? I mean, i'm a crazed psychopath, right? I've crazy enough to cover my whole upper arm in a mass of stars and swirls that wrap my appendage like a brightly colored squid. And crazy enough to have wrist tattoos, among several others on lower parts of my body to top off the horrific, disfigured effect. Something has to be wrong with me to mutate my body in such a way, right? Where are the horrified mothers and fathers, shielding their children from such perverse influence, lest they be inspired to deface their own bodies when they grow older? Those friggin' mothers and fathers are standing in line at Home Depot, wearing their wrinkle-free Docker shorts, turning around and telling me that i have a really "pretty" tattoo on my arm. Addressing me without being addressed first. Somehow, not fearing me. I just dont get it. I mean, *i'm* even scared of me sometimes.

I dont consider my arm tattoo to be exceptionally "pussy" or anything. There's no skulls or demons on it, but then again its not a dancing bear and hearts either. Hell, even i avert my eyes when i see big guys with disproportionately small tattoos on their bodies. Granted, that's purely out of disgust for them, but hell, i'll even take avoidance due to disgust these days. But people are neither afraid nor are disgusted by my tattoos.

I'm beginning to think that my obvious pregnancy may have something to do with people not fearing me. Perhaps my rotund, rosy-faced physique is disarming enough to cancel any fear that my tattoos convey. People are probably like: "look at that chubby little pregnant girl with the pretty tattoos. Isnt she adorable. I'm gonna compliment her on her tattoo. A pregnant girl is too slow and fat to strike me. And arent pregnant women supposed to be full of jolly hormones?" Not realizing that my hormonal imbalance makes me all the MORE likely to beat the piss out of them. However, i AM too slow and fat to catch them these days, and really, just too tired and hot to beat them even if i could catch them.

So i've resigned myself to the a smile and curt "thank you" whenever someone throws a tattoo compliment my way, which has already happened today and occurs as frequently as 4 times on some days. Because i'm obviously not scary anymore to anyone other than myself.