Tattoo artists: what's the worst tattoo you've had to talk someone out of wanting?

Not an artist, but when I was waiting to have my forearm done, I got to witness a super edgy 18 year old get told no to a face tat for his first tattoo. He wanted a dragon wrapped around his left eye. He got a little pissy, and the tattoo shop owner eventually came out and said they'd put the dragon anywhere but above the neckline of his shirt. So he said he wanted it on his ass. So he goes into a private room, and gets, I'd guess, about 3% through the tattoo and walks out, clearly having been crying. He looked at me like he was daring me to say something and I so, so badly wish I'd made a "pain in the ass joke" but I just went back to browsing reddit.
— SleightBulb

I had to talk this guy out of getting a huge tattoo on his shoulder. He wanted a tat of bowser from Mario wailing on a double neck guitar wearing sunglasses and riding on a surfboard. He wanted all of that to be on a pot leaf and then on a cross. Then above that he wanted it to say "Happy Birthday Rick" cause his buddy Rick's birthday was coming up and he would freak out.
— kozimcrazy

Flames down the side of his dick. Listen people, dick tattoos aren't cool
— SpiritOfSpite

I managed, for about a year, to keep a friend from getting the Cheetos Cheetah and "It ain't easy being cheesy" tattooed on his chest. He ended up doing it after we lost touch for awhile, and it was done badly. Twenty years later, it's still the only tatt he has. People give him a hard time about how awful it is but I think he likes the attention. If I was his wife I'd make him keep it covered all the time.
— _Cherry_Blue_

We ran a walk in shop and this kid walks in and wants a cross, pretty normal tattoo request for the midwest. So we ask where he wants it and he says his forearm but he wants it with the "cross" part closer to his wrist than elbow. He says he wants to look down and see it but I try to politely explain that while it might look right to him from his perspective, everyone else who sees him will think it's upside down. Dude didn't realize it and ended up not getting anything.
— airking

The only one I can think off of the top of my head was a 18 year old girl who wanted the SS symbol on her wrist, trying to claim she just likes the style of writing and it's actually someones initials. Either she's that dumb, or she thinks we are. Either way, gtfo, kid. She ended up getting it at the shop down the street, and it looked just as bad as it should.
— andallforwantofwit

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