AN: Alright y'all, you wanted a continuation. I'll have you know that all of my knowledge comes from watching the show. I am by no means a drawer or artist. I'm one of those types of people who knows what they talk about, but can't do it personally. I enjoy writing about it though. Anywho, it's kinda obvious who is going to win the competition.

Don't worry, the other competitors will come into play eventually. They're still here, not forgotten. They're just in the background. Kinda the middle people. Some may be out of character. I pull from both season 1 and season 2. Each have the same fundamentals, just a different order and flash challenge to go along with it.

Alright. Enough blabbing. On with the story. ~Immortalshark

*Kara's POV*

As soon as we got into the room, I let Tommy talk about what had happened. Al was throwing around trash, and it wasn't cool.

"We don't know if his stuff would have been good. For all we know, he could have finished it and it still would have looked like crap." Al said.

"Well yours didn't look clean either. As the judges said, it looked rushed. Your line work, your shading, wasn't clean. The attempt was nice but it didn't work." I said. "For all we know, he could have finished it, and yeah it could have been a shoddy piece of work, but it also could have been good."

Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy.

*Tommy's POV*

Damn, she just went there. I pegged her as the quiet type, one who did clean work and was having fun. She didn't seem to care about our attempts to throw her off her game, or at least paying attention to it. Props to her for ignoring the rest of us and diving into what she's supposed to do.

Al looked like he was gonna cry.

"Well, yours was smaller than mine. I had a f**ckin japanese style tattoo. There wasn't enough time to cover that f**cker up in the six hours we had." Al said.

"Mine didn't look like a blob now did it?" Kara shot back.

Ho, ho, well she's got a backbone. Damn, she's picking on his work in the areas she knows needs work. I've got some serious competition with her. I knew I had to step it up to at least equal her.

*Kara's POV*

After that little encounter, I stepped back. I listened to the rest of what the others were complaining about. Most were just doing it to get it done, get it over with and move on. If that's their thoughts, then you're gonna be sent packing because you aren't thinking about the fact that the tattoo you do could send you home. I headed for the balcony to look at the stars. Tommy came out.

"Hey." he said.

"Hi."

"You know you can argue with the others." Tommy said.

"I know, I tend to let my work speak for me in these situations. Plus, if you give it your all into each challenge as if it were your last in this competition, then you'll think better. Do better. The others? Like Joshua, he was complaining that he got the job done. Yes the thing was to cover up a bad tattoo, but not to cover up a bad tattoo with another bad tattoo. Jerry, got away by the absolute skin of his teeth. JT's line work was shoddy but I feel like he could have done better. Shana is good. Al has problems. He's giving crap to everyone, but he can't take the crap." I said.

"I agree with ya there kid. How long have you been doing this?" he asked.

"Eh, about seventeen years now. I started with paints, dabbled in a few other artistic avenues like carving and such, then I got into tattooing. I spent two years apprenticing and when I was done, my older sister let me do my first real tattoo on her. She absolutely loved it. So I ran with it and now I own a shop with her and a few other high school friends of mine." I said.

I heard a low whistle come from him.

"Damn. You probably see what's wrong with the rest huh?" Tommy said.

I nodded. "I don't let that bother me though. I focus on my work, the critique I get, and use the critique I get to better myself. Is it annoying? Yes but it's a way to test your skills against others." I said.

He nodded, "I'm good, but damn you kid are putting me through my paces. Do you know how hard it is to not look over at what your doing and try to copy?"

I chuckled, "Well, I love all the styles and dabble in most. Some I don't like, some I do. Love doing landscapes."

He raised an eyebrow, "Landscapes? Damn."

We talked a little more about how we got started and everything. I liked him cause he seemed like he knew what he was talking about. Then a few days later, was the day of the next flash challenge.

Today's challenge was something interesting. We were heading out to a parking lot. There was fifteen cars out in the lot. One was a motorcycle. I was crossing my fingers hoping for the motorcycle cause I loved doing motorcycles, heck, Alex trusted me to do a design on hers and she loves it.

The challenge had something to do with lines. Awesome.

"This week, we'll be testing your ability on something that can make or break a tattoo. Lines. Lines are the heart of every tattoo. Today, these are your canvases." David said as he pointed towards the cars, "Car designs and tattoos have a lot in common. Just as you use lines to accentuate your tattoos, car manufacturers do the same. Your job is to outline the car with lines to bring out the personality of the car."

Yes, this is going to be great. Then they brought out a guest judge, Mammoth. Someone who is well known for his tribal tattoos. We pulled keys that corresponded to the car we got. Thankfully I got the motorcycle. Oh yes. We had ninety minutes to do our designs. I ran my hands along the body of the cycle to get a feel of the shape, the indentations, the concave and convex shapes. It was a nice dark navy blue body color so I decided to use white and a bright green. I used the design I did on Alex's motorcycle just without the skull. I kept the flames though with the center as the gas cap. The green flames came first and faded into the white tips. I used the negative space as a whole different line, so it went from blue to green to white.

I looked around as soon as time was called. The others were just not working well. The other two girls had very little and it was obvious that they didn't know what they were doing. The new school dude couldn't draw a straight line and his looked shaky. Al's was nice, but it was simple. Bill's was simple but sweet. Tommy was great at the lines, and so was Shana's. Heather, I have no idea what the hell she was thinking.

She had started at the rear quarter panel with something good. Then she changed her mind and went to the hood of the car. She was also complaining a lot about the whole thing.

"Jeez, the whole point is to follow the contours of the car." I said.

Kelly, who was next to me, piped up, "Yeah it is."

"It looks like she didn't even follow the criteria." I said.

As we looked, the lines didn't even do anything for the car. The judges came around. They did their thing. They came around to mine and I could see it in Mammoth's face that he was impressed.

"I like the way you used the gas cap as the center. It really looks like there's fire coming out of it." Chris said.

"The way it fits the body of the motorcycle is a nice touch. The way you did the transitions is amazing." Oliver said, "Great work."

"Thank you." I said.

David looked at it "The use of the negative space is real nice and you somehow made it blend in with the design, well done." and walked off with the others. I knew that the others were gunning for me. I knew that I had a big target on my back from my good work, but I didn't care. I just did my best and kept it up. The others just have to step up their games.

We all headed towards the entrance to the lot to see who won. Oh boy when you argue with the judges, you get screwed. If you're here, you have to be ready for a heavy critique.

"You had ninety minutes to complete this challenge, there's a hundred thousand dollars on the line here so it's really time to step it up." David said.

"Some of the line work was outstanding, others look like they just went at it with a sharpie and an energy drink. Those of you trying to take the easy way out? Get off your ass and do something about it." Mammoth said.

"Heather, we really expected more from you in this." Oliver said.

"Well as I already said before Oliver," she said as she exaggerated Oliver's name, "Is that I already had to start over."

"Your quality of design on there, none of it fit the car. And that's the challenge here is to make lines fit a shape." Oliver said.

"I thought the challenge was to make nice lines on the car." Heather said.

"This challenge was to bring out the personality of this car." Oliver said.

"I thought it was about linework." Heather interrupted.

"Do lines that fit the shape." Oliver said.

"Well I don't really do cars." Heather said.

"Lines that fit the goddamn shape." Oliver said with a hint of anger, "What do you want? You want me to f**cking judge from this little sh*t you did?"

Damn, when the nice guys start cussing, you know it's bad.

"There's a hundred thousand dollars on the line here. So its really time to step it up." David said.

Mammoth commented on the rest of the pieces and the judges decided that Bill had the best. Oh well, I'll get a flash challenge later. I guess the judges are just giving the others a chance to pull off what they have to offer.

"Its time to head back and meet your new canvases." David said.

And we were off, back to the shop. Once we were all settled, David announced the challenge for the elimination tattoo.

"What's up guys? You've all got your own custom shops. Obviously the goal is to outlast everybody here. You're playing for a hundred thousand dollars. For this elimination tattoo, you'll be doing a style that many cultures consider sacred. Tribal." David said.

Oh yas...I love tribal. One of my favorites to do. They brought out the human canvases. One guy was looking at a head piece, one was looking at a tribal cross on the back, another was looking at West African symbols down her back. Bill took the head piece. Uh oh. The head is one of the types of tattoos that are sensitive. Five hours isn't enough for a head tattoo if it was a full head piece, which it looked like it was going to be. Then the others picked up the skulls, one by one and read out the names. I got a decent one.

Took him back to my mini shop and had him sit in the chair.

"So what are you looking at getting?" I asked as I got my sketchbook out.

"I'm looking at a medival tattoo. A shield with something in it. What I don't know yet." he said.

"Okay, how do you feel about mythical beings?" I said as I started outlining the shield.

"Mythical as in dragons?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I love dragons." he said.

"Perfect. Do you enjoy the knight position?" I asked.

He nodded, "Yes. In fact if it's possible I'd like the sword and shield."

"I'll see what I can do, I have five hours to do this. Alright." I said.

I did a rough sketch of what I wanted it to look like. I've got the shield inside a dragon's mouth with fire behind it, almost as if the dragon was about to breath it. The sword is going to be on the inside of the shield, as the inside design. I showed it to him.

"Oh wow, that is a neat tattoo. That's perfect." he said.

"Awesome. Any preferences as whether you want color or not and where?" I asked.

"On the back, and no, I don't mind color." he said.

"Perfect. Can I get you to lay down so I can get the dimensions of your upper back please?" I said.

He did as I told him to. I got my measurements of his upper back and got to work drawing my design. I absolutely loved doing dragons. They are one of my favorite animals to do and the fact that I got to do a dragon is amazing. The guy was watching me as I drew a sketch of what I wanted it to look like. The dragon head was going to be tribal and the sword was too. The fire and the shield were not.

"Hot damn, is that a badass tattoo. Thank god I'm not a judge." he said.

I chuckled, "Thanks. If you'd like, you can browse my portfolio while I'm doing this."

He nodded and looked through it. As he was doing that, I drew up a decent sketch of what it was going to look like with color. I showed it to him and he was impressed.

"Perfect, that looks amazing." he said.

When time was up for talking with the clients, I closed up my sketchbook and headed up to the loft to work on the sketch I'm going to use for the tattoo. I basically ignored the others. I heard complaints from Jerry that he doesn't like tribal and that he's lost clients because they didn't see tribal in his portfolio.

I shook my head, put my Raycon earbuds in and pressed play on my artist playlist. I drew up my design with colors and was satisfied with the way it turned out. I closed my sketchbook and put it down. I went to eat and then head to bed. The next day, it was on.

"Morning everybody. It's time for all of you guys to get to work and put your line skills to the test. You have five hours to complete your tattoo. The clock's about to start in three...two...one. Get to work." David said.

I showed the guy the drawing and he liked it.

"Now that is awesome." he said.

I laid him down and I started working on it, he was nicely relaxed. I heard Bill talking to his client and it looks like his client isn't doing well.

I went through my process, cleaned the needle, and then outlined the design thinly. I did that in thirty minutes and started in on the colors. I blended greens for the scales and then the reds, oranges, and yellows for the fire. Grayscale for the shield and the sword as a tribal. I kept going. Three hours down, two down, the color was done.

"Alright, breath for me and shake it out." I said.

He stood up and jumped around a bit, "Man, that doesn't get better, the stinging of a tattoo."

I chuckled. "Want anything to drink?"

"I'll take a water." he said.

I went to grab water. I had just given him the cup, he took his drink and then laid back down. I got to work on the blacks.

I heard a whistle come from a judge, I glanced over to see Chris standing there.

"Man, you have blending techniques down pact. That looks amazing." Chris said.

"Thanks. He wanted the shield and I brought up the other points. He agreed and this is what I came up with. He liked it so here it is. I'm almost done too." I said.

Chris nodded and I kept tattooing. I heard Bill call for an EMT and I knew that his would be left unfinished. I finished it up and I was proud of it, right on time too. I put the salve on him and showed it to him with the mirror.

"Holy crap. That looks sick! I don't care what the judges say, I love this." he said.

"Thank you." I said.

"Keep this up kid and you'll win it." he said.

I smiled at him and the guys took the picture of the tattoo for show. Then as the judges got ready, we headed up to the loft. We were talking, and by we I meant them, and Jerry was complaining that he doesn't do tribal. Bill was complaining that he shot himself in the foot, etc.

"Welcome guys to another elimination round. This round, we asked you to do a tribal tattoo that incorporated your own style. Heather, you're up first." David said.

And so the critiques begin. I winced internally when Al's lion head was facing the armpit. It was tattooing 101 that any faces, people or animals, were to face inwards towards the gigline, not outward. Al talks all this crap about doing a good tattoo, yet he messes up? He's got a big mouth, but very little talent to back it up. Heather's tattoo was okay but you couldn't really tell what it was. The only thing that looked clean was the flower in the center. Of course, I was last. Chris was the one to see mine as I was working on it, the other three didn't.

Oliver's face was one of shock, "Well damn, that is a great looking tattoo. The lines are sweet, the shading in the green scales with once again the fire being a light source is on point. The shield looks real with the shading. Pulling out all the stops early on eh?"

"My thought process is that design a tattoo as if it's going to be your last. I use the client's idea and as they are talking, I do a rough sketch of what I would like it to look like. Since we have time to decide what to do in the afternoon, I draw up the rough sketch and show my client. If he or she wants to make a twist to it, then I add it in somehow. If I can't I let them know. Then when it's done, I take a measurement of the area they want done and draw the design to fit the area. In this case, the upper back." I said.

"Well done. I really like how the shading of each scale makes it look like it's overlapping. The tribal dragon is stunning. The flames look real. The sword can use a little bit of work, the grip looks a little off. Other than that, it is amazing." Mammoth said.

"Thank you." I said.

"How long does it take you to do a normal back piece?" David asked.

"Um, when I started out, a piece like this took about nine hours. Nowadays it takes anywhere between five and nine depending on the piece and what the client wants. If it's a full back, I do two sessions, I complete the bottom first since that's where I find most people are sensitive, and then on the second session I do the top." I said.

He nodded and then we were sent back up to the loft as the judges decided on who was who.

Tommy looked impressed, "Damn, that back piece was stunning Kara." he said.

"Why thank you. I liked how you kept it feminine. The rose is a nice touch." I said.

He bowed his head.

The others were bashing each other. Al was critiquing the rest of the tattoos, but once it turned to him he got all huffy.

"It's tattooing one o one man. Faces don't face outward." Kelly said.

He got all huffy, "Well, I've seen totem tattoos face that way."

"It's not a totem tattoo now is it?" Kelly fired back.

Kelly had done the other cross. It was beautifully executed. The lines were nice and clean. Then Oliver came in.

"Alright, the judges want to see Kelly, Kara, Jerry, and Lisa. See you guys in the shop." he said.

I went down with the others and lined up. The judges rolled it out, to each of us. Kelly and I were in the top two with Kelly's being the best. I could see what the judges were doing though, make it seem like I had some flaws so that the others were comfortable. Jerry was sent home.

"The judges have decided…" David said and he paused, "Jerry. You do not have what it takes to be an ink master. Please pack up your machine and go home."

"The quality you showed us in this competition proves to me that you can't do a single pass clean outline." Chris said.

"Even though I can't do tribal, if it would have been a new school challenge, I wouldn't be standing here." Jerry said.

"It's gotta be old school, all school." Chris said.

And with that one down, thirteen more to go.

AN: There you have it. Another one bites the dust. I'm thinking about doing one where Kara's real good at hiding what she's truly feeling. What do you guys think? I'm also thinking of one where it's focused on the Danvers Sister bond and how Kara is Alex's safe place, and Alex is Kara's. Comment in a review on which one you'd like to see, or even a combo of the two.