My understanding is that the algorithm is the focus, but the ink helps amplifies Arcanists' own use of his or her aether. If it was a commonly used construct, then I imagine the Arcanist could draw out the construct in his mind a lot easier with a tattoo that has aether-conductive metal based ink than he might without any illustration. However, it wouldn't be as easy as pulling it straight from the pages of a Grimoire. So it might be more limited by not only space on their body, but also how much experience they have with that particular algorithm.
I'm toying with the idea of having the tattoo of the summoning ritual for Scorpio's Carbunkle across his chest or back. He learned it in his youth when studying Arcane magics, before he was a fully trained Arcanist and the idea is that he learned it under a great deal of stress or trauma. Not having his own Grimoire yet, he didn't want to forget how to summon this being that saved his life and set to having it tattooed on his body. It would also build some of the inter-personal conflict (by being super weird) he had with his Duskwight clan, leading up to his eventual exile.
I'm toying with the idea of having the tattoo of the summoning ritual for Scorpio's Carbunkle across his chest or back. He learned it in his youth when studying Arcane magics, before he was a fully trained Arcanist and the idea is that he learned it under a great deal of stress or trauma. Not having his own Grimoire yet, he didn't want to forget how to summon this being that saved his life and set to having it tattooed on his body. It would also build some of the inter-personal conflict (by being super weird) he had with his Duskwight clan, leading up to his eventual exile.
