For this one: You must convince your younger brother to keep the tattoo you've installed.
LOWER BACK (any gender, mid teens through late forties)
I used to hate them too. "It's not called a tramp stamp, it's called a lower-back-tattoo." Whatever. As long as they're just beneath the shirt line and just above the pants line, they're a TEASE. I never got a tramp stamp and I don't intend to. Not yet. We need to see how effective yours is first.
And I'm not sorry, Jacob. At another time in history, I would never have done this to you. It's a violation to mark your body without your permission. Drugging you first, then doing that to you. Plus the awkwardness of you wanting to be a man's man but having a "peekaboo" tat just above your butt.
At another time in history, I'd never have done that to my own brother... but we live in very "interesting" times, don't we, bro? There are now people among us who have powers. Whether it was the bomb or just breeding, we don't know. But we DO know that when a "Gazer" locks in on you, they have the power to change your internal workings.
If our strength and vitality comes from the lower spine, then maybe the Gazers can help you, Jacob. They won't even know that they're doing it. They'll just be checking out your lower back tattoo, maybe with some excitement, some desire... all that energy going right into the base of your spine.
Can you imagine all your pain being gone? All your strength coming back to you?
And if a Gazer could accidentally heal you, imagine how they could power UP someone who's already healthy? They could start powering up an entire resistance, not even realizing it.
Still, if you want the tat removed, we can do that. The mark it'll leave might not be very attractive though. Wanna see what happens if the negative energy goes into your spine? Either way, we learn something, I guess.
Copyright 2016 by Matt Haynes. If you would like to use this piece, please credit: "Courtesy of Matt Haynes and The Pulp Stage"