I feel like I'm cheating on my metal.

I not only have a new piercing, I have a new tattoo. And, all I can say is, I want more ink.

In Bellingham, WA, there is this little tattoo place downtown called Sabbath Tattoo. I had never been there before and the place I got my first tattoo moved somewhere else. So, one day, my friend and I wandered down there because I was in need of getting a matching tattoo with a friend who lives in New York (he had already gotten his earlier that day), and the wonderful, amazing, fantastic Saul took me right in and boom. Tattoo in under 30mins. My friend was even able to watch.

Sabbath Tattoo used to be located by the cat clinic (which is near the fire station on Broadway). They moved to their downtown location... I don't think too long ago. The shop was amazing. I've been in a few other shops around just looking, talking and though they all seemed really nice and wonderful, they were always busy and super flashy. I don't know why but Sabbath Tattoo just felt more comfortable. It wasn't flashy. It seemed more... 'tough', simple. I like simple. It was comfortable. The tattoo stations cut off by waist high walls with rooms in the back for the more... "I need privacy" tattoos. Decent music playing. Art all over the walls, drawings, pictures. There was even a big animal head on the wall. It was just such a comfortable place. And Saul was so nice. A little on the quiet side, but who wouldn't be with two weird females coming in and surrounding him. He was holding the shop down alone and was stuck with my friend's and mine chatter. He even would respond to all my questions about, well, him. Even when I hiked my pants down on my left to let him get at my hip (which is where the tattoo was located), I felt comfortable the whole time. Ah, and laying on the table, the sound of some harder, screaming music playing in the background, the wuzzwuuzzbuzzing of the tattoo gun. It felt oh so good, almost as good as it feels to be in a piercing environment. Just thinking about it and all I can think is... "I NEED TO GO BACK".

ANYWAYS. Just a short recap:
I was a walk in at Sabbath Tattoo, it was later in the evening and Saul helped me and I am SO HAPPY WITH THE WORK. The price also was... Let's just say, I brought in way more money than I needed. I was so surprised by the price. I love my tattoo. I recommend Sabbath Tattoo so hard! Haha. AND SAUL. Fantastic artist!

Downtown Bellingham, WA.
Near the Black Drop coffeehouse.
I plan on going back real soon. I have a few tattoos drawn up that I would like.

My friends tattoo is the same top hat, just with more shading and a tiny bit of color. I like simple, he wanted something a little... more. I'm not sure what shop he went to in New York but he was and still is quite happy with his tattoo.

And that was the ending to my 2012.
Still single.
But.
With two new body mods.
Hell. Yeah.
Fantastic.

Cyber Bite: Long Time Waiting

It seems I have been absent for quite sometime. My last post as in... August? Oh my. 

It's the late night of January 21st, 2013... Hmm, almost January 22nd. I'm sitting here, wrapped in a deep wine colored blanket trying to think if much of anything has happened since August. Chewing my bottom lip slowly, I have to shake my head. In fact, nothing really NEW has happened. Romance come and gone. Work. Sleep. Food. So... lacking... so... Oh wait! There is something new!
Wait.
For.
It.

A new hole in my head, hahaha. Yes. I finally completed my OH SO WANTED Cyber Bite. 

Haha, it's not my best picture but it will have to do. Though you can barely make out the piercing duo, it's the center of my upper and bottom lip that completes the "Cyber Bite". 

Bite piercings tend to refer to the piercings that are two or more piercings around the mouth. In example: snake bites (which seems to be rather popular), venom bites, spider bites, angel bites, canine... oh, I'm sure you get the point.

I've had a Philtrum piercing (or Medusa as I've come to hear most people call it), for over a year. I did get it re-pierced but I still count the time. I had actually originally wanted the philtrum piercing on plans of completing the 'cyber bite'. I never committed fully to the cyber bite and talked myself out of it multiple times (even out of all my piercings) with a desire to get a better job. But my desire for the metal was more powerful than finding a '9 to 5' job. I don't even have enough digits to count with to express the amount of adults that distaste my facial piercings and how many of them mourn that I'll never have a job with big bucks and super professional attire. It seems most of those jobs I've come across require some sort of lengthy and expensive adventure to furthering ones education in which I bring up to the disgusted people that if they feel the need to be concerned with my "working future", they should be more worried about me not attending school rather than having metal pierced through my skin.

But that's a ramble for another time. Back to my new piercing.

So I finally got the complete cyber bite, yes. The labret didn't hurt at all. I went to my usual place of piercing pleasures and was pierced by the lovely Briana that has always done a tip worthy job.  16g, 7/16in surgial steel labret at the end of November and I was one HAPPY CAMPER. And still am. 

It's basically the opposite of the Philturm. Lower lip, center. I almost am kicking myself for not getting a  vertical labret (which comes up through the lower lip). I can always get re-pierced though. No regret. So, like with the Philtrum, placement is SUPER DUPER IMPORTANT. If not placed correctly... it can throw off your whole face. Make sure you trust the piercing and check out the placement BEFORE THE NEEDLE HAPPENS. With this lip piercing, a ring or labret can work. I've even seen some people have spirals which, I have to admit, would look pretty awesome with a labret piercing on the left of right part of the lip. I haven't had a ring in my labret piercing but I'm sure I'll try it someday. 

As I said earlier, the piercing didn't hurt much if at all. Deep breath in. Start to let it out. BOOM! Needle through. 1. 2. 3. Pretty much done.

The care instructions I used for mine were exactly the same as the Philtrum. Clean the outside morning and evening. Don't cake makeup around it, that helps no one. Rine with antispetic mouth wash for 3 seconds after each meal, drink (other than water) and cigarette. Remove foreign matter. No chewing tobacco for one week. For pain and swelling,  Ibuprofen, Advil or Mortin. I was pretty lucky. My bottom lip didn't swell as badly as my top lip. I asked for a longer bar, though, just in case. 

Maybe I'm just special but I recommend being SUPER careful eating after you get it pierced. Until you get used to it. Perhaps it's because I had such a long bar, but the first time I ate, I thought I was going to rip the piercing right through my lip. The back of the labret kept catching on bottom teeth as I chewed and LORDY, that was not the most pleasurable feeling. Now that I have a much shorter bar and have gotten used to it, I barely have any problems.

Remember, each piercer is going to have a different set of aftercare instructions and each person is different. Some people might not get much lip swelling, some might. Time of healing before it's safe to change the jewelry may vary from person to person and studio. If you're interested in any piercing, I recommend first researching it so you know exactly what you're going to yourself into, think about if you really want it, how to take care of it and so on.

Also, it's a good idea to get the phone number of your piercer in case you have an emergency question or if any problems arise.

Other than that... I cannot think of much else to say about it other than it is AWESOME. Haha, I have a retainer in currently and it's not very noticeable at all. 

It feels good to kind of be back, haha.

Pierce on my friends.

Pierce. On.

Pictures. Because it's what I do.

I had a friend contact me yesterday after searching for 'philtrum piercings' online. Apparently, my picture came up. This amused me.

So, I've decided to post SOME pictures of piercings I have. I cannot post all because.. well, that would just be inappropriate.

This picture isn't very flattering but it amuses me. No, that messed up drawing of a 'lizard' is not a tattoo. This is one of the few pictures I have with my septum piercing which I got back in 2010. Due to my parents extreme distaste for this piercing (and living with them), I got tired of the disgusted noise my mom always made when she saw it so I currently have no jewelry in. That and, well, I haven't found jewelry that looks good with the septum AND philtrum piercing.

 Oh. My. God. This is the first body-body piercing I ever got. So much fun. I love the tongue piercing. It feels horribly weird without it in place. And I refuse to lose it. I've had this since... early 2010.

 I do not think you can see it very well but I have a nose hoop in. Left nostril. I really wanted the "spider bite" of two nose hoops on one nostril but, eh, I only went for one. I've taken it out and have put it back in so many times. Not my favorite piercing. But, I'll get it to a point where I like it. This piercing was done late 2011.

My philtrum piercing!!!!  That black dot above my lip. Not many people like this piercing. I LOVE it. Ignore the messy bed in the background, please. This piercing I've gotten twice. Last year (2011) and I then took it out to find a 'better job' at a bank. I'm not a bank person, let's just say that. SO! I got it re-pierced in 2012 and I am oh so happy that I did. I actually forget I have it, most of the time. One time, I was video-chatting with an old friend and we hadn't seen each other in so long. He got really, REALLY close to the screen and asked "what is that above your lip" and I was a little confused because he had seen updated pictures of me and was like "a piercing...". His response was hilarious. "Nooo. Why would you get a piercing there? It's so silly!" WELL. I wasn't aware I was supposed to, you know, have my appearance be to your standards. :p Fun times, fun times.





ANYWAY! Yes. Pictures of some of my current piercings. I have, in total, 12 at the moment. So fun. SO fun.



Pierce on, people.
Pierce. On.

A Stone Turning Piercing: The “Medusa”.

The philtrum, mostly known as the “Medusa” piercing, is one of my all time favorites. Usually pierced by a labret, it's placed in the groove above the center of the top lip. There is a variation of this piercing called the 'jestrum' but that's a posting for another day.

IMPORTANT:
Placement of a Medusa piercing is VERY, VERY important. Placed wrong, it can throw off the whole symmetry of ones face which, in turn, would cause everything to look unbalanced. Double check placement before the needle touches your skin.

The Medusa piercing is mostly worn with a labret but! Rings and other jewelry are possible.

I'd say the care instructions for this piercing are pretty basic. I'm not sure about others but when I got my pierced, oh my world on fire, my lip swelled so much. I'll share my experience in a different post. All I'm going to say is to make sure you have a comfortable length bar that leaves room for swelling. Also ice is your friend. It's recommended to stay away from spicy foods, acidic juices an hot beverages for the first few days. And you'll want to rinse with Listerine or any ANTISEPTIC mouthwash for 3seconds after each meal, soft drink and cigarette. If you're a tobacco chewer, it's advised to now chew for at least one week. This is the basic inside cleaning for the piercing.

For basic outside cleaning, clean it twice a day- once in the morning, once at night. Make sure the bead is tight if it is a labret or beaded piercing. After 3 weeks, it's safe to change out the jewelry for a shorter bar.

Remember, each piercer is going to have a different set of aftercare instructions and each person is different. Some people might not get much lip swelling, some might. Time of healing before it's safe to change the jewelry may vary from person to person and studio. If you're interested in any piercing, I recommend first researching it so you know exactly what you're going to yourself into, think about if you really want it, how to take care of it and so on.

Also, it's a good idea to get the phone number of your piercer in case you have an emergency question or if any problems arise.

I've recently gotten this piercing, again. I've had it once before but took it out and regretted it oh so much. Happily, I am with metal once again.

I find facial piercings to be a big commitment. Some are easier to hide than others. Luckily, retainers are available. Though they do not make the piercings 100% invisible, they make it not as obvious that you have a new hole in your face haha.

Pierce on, friends.

Pierce. On.

The Transscrotal- A piercing that takes some balls.

Exotic Piercing WARNING.

The transscrotal piercing can also be referred to as transcrotal (with one l) or scrunnel (SCRotal tUNNEL). This piercing passes through the inner body of the scrotum which is straight through- into the front and out of the back.

From the little research I have done, this is a somewhat dangerous piercing (as most piercings are), because of the risk of infection. It literally fully penetrates your body's number one defense, your skin. If infection does occur, the situation can QUICKLY become very dangerous (most definitely in the area that it is located- ow!). Due to this, the transscrotal piercing is treated as a surgical procedure where a 'flesh tube' (see fistula*) is used.

A transscrotal piercings done with the normal needle and jewelry takes a longer time to heal, IF it heals at all. Also, this way makes the stretching of the scrotum harder to achieve.

The fistula procedure is where the scrotum is clamped then an incision is made with a scalpel (or sometimes a dermal punch), and then the front skin (where the incision was originally made) is sewn to the skin of the back. Proper sewing is needed for effect and safe healing, of course. And, when being sewn, it has to be skin to skin. There are three layers- skin, membrane and muscle. Sewing any of the the other two CAN cause the piercing to not heal properly or difficult. Once the piercing is fully healed, the piercing bearer can start stretching pretty quickly.

LIKE MOST PIERCINGS, please make sure you've done your research and found a professional and trust worthy piercer.

Transscrotal piercings, if done right, can heal as fast as a few weeks.

Placement has been the main complaint. Make sure you know where you'd want to get it, talk to the piercer about placement, and understand the piercing itself.

For more information or for pictures, check out: http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Transscrotal_piercing

Other than that, enjoy the piercing. I've heard the piercing can cause some sexual pleasure to males but I can't say for a fact if that's true or not. I've never come across a male with a transscrotal piercing and can't seem to find much information on the “BENEFITS”. And, sadly, I don't have the right 'stuff' to try out this piercing myself. Maybe some day I'll find a male who is willing to share what life has been like with the piercing. Maybe not.

Pierce on, my friends.

*For information on the 'fistula', I recommend checking out:

http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Fistula

.1% and Proud.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I love body adornment. I think it decorates the body just as jewelry does, makeup, hair dye, or a spiffy haircut. Body modification also requires things like self-confidence, body acceptance, strength, courage - traits that I find very appealing in my partner.

In the end, it's not for everyone, but you shouldn't judge one person's concept of beauty against your own. Variety is the spice of life, and some of us like a bit more variety than the average person - that's what makes life enjoyable.” - Off a ‘Yahoo Answer’

So many people have a “super opinion” on what looks attractive on someone else. And though, yes I believe each person should have their own opinion, a lot of people try to force what they ‘think’ or ‘feel’ down other peoples’ throats. Even if they don’t mean to do it, it’s how it feels a lot of the time.

Just today, while hanging out with my mom and friend, the topic of peircings came up. I already know how they feel about them. I know which ones they dislike and favor. And still, I felt as if they were trying to force me to change my own choice about piercings.

Here is my thing. I don’t care if piercings make me unattractive. I like them. They make me feel good. I find them attractive. I enjoy them. Me. On my own body. If you don’t like them or find them attractive, it’s simple- DON’T GET ANY. I won’t force you to get one if you don’t want to or like them. But don’t throw disgust at me and tell me I need to change because my choices are different than yours.

You don’t walk up to a mother and her child and say “Your baby is ugly”. You don’t walk up to someone who has piercings and say “you’re ugly because you have more holes”. Have your opinion, but be able to accept other people’s choices and feelings. It’s what makes you an adult and more mature, in my eyes.

While getting any body modification, you do have to keep in mind that there will be people who treat you differently. Some people will look down on you for your choices. But, as I’d hope much thought and research has gone into the piercing, you prepare yourself to be able to accept the outcome.

I feel like I’m contradicting myself. How to put it simply? I am happy that everyone has their own opinion but please, be careful on how you wield it.

Here is an example of what I mean. My aunt and uncle are very religious people. VERY religious. I remember when my aunt saw that my sister had a tattoo, she treated my mom like the most horrible parent in the world because she’d let her daughter do that to her body. Of course, at that point, my mom lifted her pant leg a little and let shine the small ankle tattoo she also has.

I try to respect people and their religion. You believe what you want to believe, and I’ll believe what I want to believe. My aunt and uncle try to force their beliefs and way of life down my family’s throat. They are SO against any and body modifications. Even just a dab of ‘fun color’ in your hair. And they will sit there and try to force you to change what you feel. They will express how you’ll go to ‘hell’ or that you are someone who needs to be saved.

To me, that is not an appropriate way to wield your opinion. “I don’t like piercings”, “piercings are unattractive”, “it’s like a bullseye- it takes away from the beauty of your face”. I can take comments like those. Annoyed, I do get a little annoyed but, they are the opinion of others. “You need to take out that metal or else you’re going to hell”, “you do know no one finds those attractive”, “you’re never going to find someone who can be attracted to you”, “are you following a trend |smirk|”. Comments like those infuriate me. They are like the previous examples but they seem more forceful. I guess words have that much power.

I guess I just wanted to put that out there.

What did my mom say yesterday? “No one finds piercings attractive.” My response? “Yes, some people do find them attractive.” “99.9% don’t.”

Well, I guess I’m part of that .1% that finds attractive.

Have a great day everyone.

If you’re in the Bellingham area, the sun was out. :[

I miss the rain.

The Austin Bar - a rare sighting.

Today, out of curiosity, I was searching the internet for more 'rare piercings' and came across an "Austin Bar" piercing.

The Austin Bar piercing is named after the first carrier of said piercing. I have never seen one actually being worn out in the public of Bellingham, WA. It's a horizontal piercing that goes through the tip of the nose and has no exposed metal besides the balls of the barbel(it does not pass through the septum nor exposed inside either nostril). If you go to the link below you can see a picture of the piercing.

I'd say with basic piercing cleaning, the Austin Bar would probably heal between two-three months. Of course, each person is different and may take longer to heal. And, same with what my body piercer has always told me, though the outside of a piercing looks healed, be gentle because it's still healing inside.

I would LOVE to see some people start working this piercing more. It's a truly interesting body modification. I do not believe I am one of those awesome people who has the face to pull off this one, haha.

Back to piercing creeping.

Have a great day.
AND! If you're in the great Northwest, enjoy the oh so lovely rain.





Austin Bar - BMEzine Encyclopedia: