| At A Glance | |
| Author | Alukh |
| Contact | Alukh@bme.anon |
| IAM | Alukh |
| When | A week ago |
| Artist | River |
| Studio | Lucky Dog Tattoo |
| Location | Seaside, OR |
It is rare that I get a mod for purely aesthetic purposes. At this point I've walked so far along my own little spiritual path that doing something just because it looks pretty seems silly, but the artist in me argues that beauty is its own reason, and so I turn my ears into works of art, one step at a time.
My ears are not especially sensitive or important in a spiritual sense, but something about their delicacy and whorled cartilaginous ridges demands decoration. I've always liked my ears, more so once I learned that they're the product of a set of almost entirely recessive genetic traits. Their size, their lack of hanging lobes, the little bump on my right ear that I inherited from my father, the way they lay close to my head so as to be almost invisible from the front make them unique, and I find a great deal of satisfaction in knowing that I am unique.
Like most of us, I was introduced to body modification through a set of standard 18 gauge lobe piercings. Despite being done with a gun, an evil I was entirely ignorant of at the tender age of 8, they healed quickly and with little incident. In my adolescence I discovered the desire to acquire more modifications, but could only get away with a second set of standard lobe piercings, also gunned.
Soon after my 18th birthday passed I added a basic outer helix piercing to my right ear and two more sets of lobe piercings to my little collection. It wasn't until I got an industrial through my left ear that I got to experience the sensation of having my ears pierced by a needle. Oddly, the industrial took a full fifteen months to heal in comparison to the brief six weeks required for every previous ear piercing, but I chalked it up to lousy aftercare instructions and decided to give my ears a break for a couple of years, which brings me to the present.
A few months ago I took pictures of my ears to show them off online and realized that there was no cohesive plan to them. My piercings were scattered, unmatched, and not spaced as perfectly as I had thought.
This messiness immediately offended my aesthetic sensibilities and I vowed to plot out projects for my ears as soon as possible. Unfortunately a succession of other mods demanded my body's healing attentions, but I kept the idea of making my ears prettier simmering away in my subconscious. No solutions were forthcoming until suddenly my recent surface piercing stopped demanding constant attention and it hit me: a row of simple 3mm balls running along my right outer helix. It would work well with the existing holes in my ear, wouldn't involve an 80 mile drive to my usual piercer, and would form a perfect frame for future work involving the inner folds of my ear.
On Thursday I found myself stranded three blocks away from a tattoo and piercing shop for a good 8 hours, thanks to a particularly sadistic work schedule. Sadly, the piercer, River, had left all of her stock jewelry at home but was happy to chat with me about my idea. After promising to come back on Sunday I left to kill time some other way. The next day I had the unexpected foresight to make an appointment for Saturday, an hour before my shift started. I showed up at 4, as planned, filled out the standard form, and waited around for a bit while River sold some jewelry to a guy with an eyebrow piercing.
After reminding her that I had to be at work by 5 she stopped dicking around and ushered me into her room. My plan was explained again, lots of little dots were made and checked, and it was agreed that to space the piercings like the ones in my lobe would make my ear look far too cluttered. A quick decision resulted in me retiring two lobe piercings on the spot and switching out my remaining jewelry for 1/4" barbells identical to the ones about to be placed in my ear. River made a quick calculation and concluded that with the wider spacing only three piercings would be required to fill in the space between my existing holes. That settled, she changed her gloves and did a bit of last-minute setup while I lay down and tried my damnedest to quell the roiling in my stomach.
After deciding to have her pierce from the lobe upwards in the hopes that an endorphin rush would have taken over my ear by the time she reached the cartilage she lined up the first one, made sure I was breathing deeply, and pierced. The pain was uncomfortable more than anything and quickly subsided once she had inserted the first barbell, talking me through each step in a soothing voice. The next two holes were done quickly, in much the same manner as the first and with the same needle. During the third one I could feel the distinct layers of my ear as the needle passed through them, but it increased the level of discomfort only minimally.
Unfortunately, it was at this point that River noticed that four piercings were actually called for; she hurriedly grabbed another barbell, changed her gloves again, and took up the same needle once more. By this point my cherished endorphins were wearing off somewhat and the needle was getting slightly dull, but the fourth piercing went just as smoothly as the previous three, despite some clenched muscles and hissing on my part. I took a moment to collect myself, checked out my new ear, and vacated the table, pleased with the results and even more pleased with the apparent absence of the needleshock that hits me after almost every mod.
When I got to work ten minutes later I was feeling not quite so perky. The massive amounts of adrenaline in my system had rapidly burned up my meager breakfast and my blood sugar was dropping more every minute. Desperate to counteract the dizziness I started gulping Mountain Dew, only to remember with a shock that caffeine thins the blood. I hurled the soda into the trash, replaced it with lemonade, and gulped it down until I could think clearly enough to do my job. I remained sort of spacey for the rest of the night, while the warm throbbing in my ear gradually made its way into my ear canal, making me long for the sweet comfort of a cool salt water soak.
At home I prepared the soak and lay down with my ear positioned over it. It was then that I realized that the position of my ears makes them almost impossible to soak. After ten minutes my hair was sopping wet and my neck had locked into a cramp, but my ear was only marginally soothed. Determined to tend to it somehow, I adopted the practice of spritzing it with H2Ocean a few times each day and otherwise leaving it alone. Since then I've tried to wash it with antibacterial soap a few times, but the spacing of the barbells prevents me from doing an effective job of it.
It's been two weeks now. I daresay healing gunned piercings was easier than this, but then again, my ears were gunned at 18 gauge and then only in sets of two. Healing four 14 gauge piercings that are adjacent to one another is a bit different. Until they are sufficiently healed I shall keep taking my vitamins and doing my best to care for them while I plot the next step in turning these unusual little ears into truly unique pieces of art.