28 Comments
User's avatar
Andy Futuro's avatar

Chilling.

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thanks!

Expand full comment
William Pauley III's avatar

An original concept told in an unexpected, but totally effective way. Loved this!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thank you!

Expand full comment
Sean Thomas McDonnell's avatar

Fantastic, Katharine!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thank you so much 🙏🏼

Expand full comment
Ashley T.K.'s avatar

This was fantastic! I love how real it feels, the genuine commentary on artistry reflected in the story

Expand full comment
Wendy Cockcroft's avatar

This is very good. Zuri is a great character. I'd like to see more Zuri stories.

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thanks, Wendy! I hadn't even considered writing more about her, but, yes - that could be interesting...

Expand full comment
Liz Zimmers's avatar

Zuri is so…confident in her art and what it’s capable of doing. I love the practicality she delivers. This is such a great premise! Tattoos can definitely be portals, the art so personally meaningful and permanent. Love it!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

I created her, but I wouldn't want to meet her! I think fiction (and, sadly, reality) have taught us that there are fewer things more frightening that someone who believes they're on sacred mission to cleanse the world of certain people. Yes, she's very practical and methodical - I think that's part of what makes her so sinister. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Expand full comment
Liz Zimmers's avatar

I agree. She is so blithely sinister. And her poor interviewer got into unexpectedly deep water!

Expand full comment
Garen Marie's avatar

I love how you have this play out in an interview and the way the tattoo artist is so assured in the judgment she confers on these unsuspecting people. She's definitely a dark angel of retribution!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

She's a piece of work all right... I was nervous about the interview format, but I think it worked. Tbh, I was more nervous about this than anything I've ever written because you horror peeps are so cool! 😎 Thanks for making us a part of this and spreading the word about the little stacks! 💖

Expand full comment
Garen Marie's avatar

I'm so happy you joined in! And no need to be nervous - you killed it, first of all. And second, you're cool yourself so you fit right in!

Expand full comment
Edward.Marlo.Ruiz's avatar

Absolutely GREAT. I love this one and that ending is so fantastic. Love what you did here.

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thank you for being my first ever beta reader! You deserve credit for the ending too. It was your comment that prompted me to edit it, and I think it came out better than before.

Expand full comment
A. C. Sanders's avatar

I love this idea! And the story really made me think about the impact creatives have on others whether for good or for ill! ✨

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thanks. It's an interesting thing to consider, right?

Expand full comment
Ken Flyingheart's avatar

Nice concept! I adore the form you chose and you closed out in stellar fashion!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

I'm so happy to hear you say that! I was editing that last paragraph until last night...!

Expand full comment
Ken Flyingheart's avatar

Trust me, I was slaving away until the timer ran out.

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

I'm sure it was worth it! Yours is on my TBR - I'm working my way through the list. Going to have some weird dreams tonight!

Expand full comment
Saint-Lazare's avatar

Cool concept... As someone who used to work in the tattoo industry, it gave me goosebumps in retrospective haha!

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Haha I bet! I actually got the idea before the Small & Scary prompt when I was having a back piece done a couple of months ago. The artist is a friend of mine, so I wasn't concerned about anything myself, but while I was lying there, I was thinking how much potential it could have for unpleasant things to happen...!

Expand full comment
Saint-Lazare's avatar

Good thinking 😅

Expand full comment
Lyndsey Resnick's avatar

Katharine! Omg....great concept. And few things are more personal than body art.

Expand full comment
Katharine Kapodistria's avatar

Thank you, Lyndsey!

Expand full comment