Heated Rivalry fever has taken over. Since its release last November, the Crave show – which tells the slow-burn love story of two male athletes navigating the machismo of professional sports – has become an international sensation, catapulting its leads into stardom and sparking full blown obsession among viewers. While much of the passion plays out online – in reaction videos, fan edits and memes – some fans have taken their devotion into the physical realm. A growing number of Heated Rivalry-inspired tattoos are beginning to appear, with tattoo shops posting dedicated flash sheets featuring offshoot quotes, hockey gear and even hotel room numbers.

After watching Heated Rivalry, Erica, who is based in California, booked in with an artist doing a guest spot at Voulez-Vous Tattoo Studio in Long Beach. She chose a design featuring two vintage motel keychains numbered 1410 and 1221 – a reference to the show – alongside the quotes “I might open” and “I might knock”. “Heated Rivalry and the love story it tells means so much to me because, as a queer person, we have so many movies and TV shows that end in tragedy. We don’t get a lot of queer media with a happy ending – and this one truly does,” she says of the motivation behind her tattoo. Erica filmed her trip to the studio and posted the video on TikTok, where it quickly racked up more than 350,000 views, with the comments filling up with people sharing their own Heated Rivalry-inspired ink.

While these tattoos may be the latest manifestation of fandom hype, they’re far from the first. Across pop culture, fictional fandoms have long found ways to anchor their obsessions in something more permanent. Take the ‘Bookish Tumblr’ era trifecta of The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Maze Runner, which saw medallions, arrows and faction symbols inked across fans’ bodies. Or Twilight designs – like those by tattoo artist big car – that devotees continue to get years after the franchise’s peak, including alt-pop artist Julia Wolf, who has a Twilight-inspired hand tattoo.

An emotional connection to a show’s plot or characters is just one reason someone might get a fandom tattoo. Another is the sense of belonging that fandoms provide, offering community and social identity that can be difficult to find elsewhere. Especially during periods of social unrest or personal uncertainty, it can feel instinctual to band together with others who share your interests, escape the pressures of everyday life, and find comfort in something collective.

It’s a motivation tattoo artists have come to recognise. “Fandoms can affect your personality a lot and help you express yourself,” says Rome-based tattoo artist Mark, who has a few fandom tattoos of his own. “I think this type of tattoo is a way of saying, ‘This is a part of me and I’m proud of it.’” He integrates fandom references into his designs through abstract or nostalgic approaches, often blending them with existing styles. His previous work includes a Monster High and My Chemical Romance hybrid, and a crossover of Adventure Time and Berserk. “I think a lot of people want to capture their journey as a tattoo: how they changed, what they think. Fandoms can play a huge part in this.”

Changing tastes, however, can give someone pause when they are thinking about a fandom-based tattoo. “I got a TARDIS tattoo as my first tattoo in 2018,” says writer Molly Marsh. “I’d always been worried about getting tattoos because my tastes and interests changed so frequently, but I’d been a huge Doctor Who fan since I was nine, and it was the thing I was most confident I’d always love.” Even if that did change, Molly felt the TARDIS would still serve as a reminder of her childhood. Now, six years and several more tattoos later – including a Back to the Future one – her only regret is the placement of the tattoo. “I am still in the fandom and have loads of mates I’ve met through being a Doctor Who fan, even if it’s not at the centre of my life like it was in 2018,” she says.

This isn’t always the case, as Kirsty, also a writer, has discovered. Many fandoms have had to grapple with the uncomfortable reality that the people behind the shows or books they love don’t always embody their morals or beliefs – take the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom’s reckoning with Joss Whedon, or fans of Neil Gaiman’s work. Kirsty has several tattoos inspired by things she loves – or once loved – including a Lord of the Rings piece and a sleeve of Harry Potter tattoos dating back 15 years. Since she got the sleeve, author JK Rowling’s comments about the trans community have prompted many fans to reconsider, remove or cover up their Harry Potter tattoos.

“I don’t regret my Harry Potter tattoo collection, but as I’ve aged and watched the hurt caused by the words and actions of its author I can’t help but feel that while inwardly it reflects my love for the safe, welcoming space Hogwarts became for me during a childhood fraught with difficulties and pain, outwardly it’s more complex,” she shares. “I believe trans women are women, trans youth need to be protected, and my feelings about the Wizarding World are now muddied by this misalignment, given the very real harm I believe anti-trans rhetoric causes to our society.” Kirsty now plans to get the faded sleeve tattooed over with something new. “I’m not ashamed of the relationship I had with the universe… but I’ve grown and changed, and it plays a different role in my existence today.”

It’s perhaps for reasons like this that people online can give mixed reactions to the fandom tattoos of others. While Erica says that responses to her Heated Rivalry tattoo have been overwhelmingly positive in person, on her TikTok video, the comments have been more varied. “Of course, some people ask why I’d do this with the show only being out for a few months,” she says. “I’m not sure if people realise fandom tattoos have been a thing for decades. People just get tattoos of things they like!”

This scepticism reflects a broader cultural hesitation toward permanence in an era dominated by rapidly shifting trends and online “moments”. People move on faster now, and the ephemerality of social media has conditioned audiences to expect that any allegiance to a fandom will soon give way to the next wave of hype. But fictional fandom tattoos aren’t necessarily striving for timelessness; their value lies in the way they age, carrying a reminder of a particular moment and the feelings that came with it. That’s not to say every fandom holds up – but, thankfully, there’s always a cover-up around the corner if needed.